Myth Busted? Here's How Much Range You REALLY Lose in the Extreme Cold!

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[mrcnorth]

Great test. For those living in colder climates, these real world tests are hugely important to make an informed decision.

[titaniummazdaspeed]

It’s always amazing to see how much of a difference cold weather makes for EV’s. That in addition to wet roads is pretty much the worst case scenario. Even driving in summer rain causes noticeably less range due to rolling resistance. I guess when a vehicle is that efficient every outside factor impacts range, no matter how small. Nice job showing the difference!

[adamchoi]

That’s pretty accurate. I remember traveling to a mall about 27 miles away from home with 55% in my mini thinking I would just need to top off on a level 2. My lead foot got the best of me and I ended up at a fast charger off the highway after the mall. 😂 However, in summer I was able to go 120 miles and get back with 12%. The adventures to train for range anxiety.

[rt]

Loved this. We often get -5 to 15 degree temperatures here, and I have found the same results to be true for my vehicle. Where I could normally drive 220 miles easily, I am struggling to make a 150-mile drive when it's 0 degrees.

It's not the end of the world, but it is definitely a big mental readjustment for trip planning.

[matthewkatz]

Thank you for this content on EVs and EV issues. I really LIKE the real world tests.

[glenngore]

I find your results pretty much on target. I am seeing a 40% reduction in range with my Ioniq 5 this winter. Under the same driving conditions and at the same speeds, at 80% charge I get 180 miles of range on my long-range RWD SEL. That is a very significant hit to range but it is still doable.

[dalejones]

Very good idea for a video. This answers a lot of questions for cold weather driving with an EV. Great job.

[eric]

I've been tracking range on my drive from and to work in my Ionic 5. Both the 20 mile drive to and from work. Roughly 59 days tracked.

Sept 23rd to Oct 31st. I averaged 3.62Kw/hr in the morning to work, 4.2Kw/hr evening from work.
Nov 1st to current. I averaged 3.03KW/hr to work, and 3.62KW/hr from work.

I also marked down average temperature in this as well.
Sept 23rd to Oct 31st: 57.2F morning, 83F evening temp.
Nov 1st to current: 40F morning, 52.67F evening temp.

[gwcars]

I’m glad you tested this and showed this. When your dad talked about the hoovie “winter range cut in half” video he said that the cold doesn’t make that big of a difference. Clearly he was mistaken.

[gme]

I live in Alberta Canada now and these real tests need to be watched by our government pushing hard to end gas engines. I always find it odd when I talk to a salesman for EV and they state the range when at 100% then say but we recommend charging to 80-90% so there goes let’s say 15% and cold weather here has shown like you we lose 30+% so the 400 km range is suddenly down to almost 50% so advertising a range of 400km when in winter more like 200km is unfair. I live in lake country where closest city hospital is 250kms away. Not to handy

[siralphahotel]

Hi Tommy! Love the content you put out! After watching your gas to electric mini idle comparison video, I’d be curious to compare this test to a gas vehicle in real world environment!

[wzDH]

Honestly, better than I expected in those conditions. We would see a 35% drop in MN with a Volt, with similar conditions. I'm rather impressed.

[gridjac]

-2 degrees Fahrenheit is pretty darn cold!! Thanks for the video. Always good to get a real-world idea of range comparisons between “warm” (60is still cool to me) and cold. 26% range difference is significant!

[AnonymousFreakYT]

I had a BMW i3 for a few years, and would regularly drive it over mountain passes, including a stretch where the distance between charging stations was _just barely_ doable in blizzard conditions. One trip, I was heavier than normal and must have had a headwind - once I started uphill, the guess-o-meter was *WAY* short of the distance to the next charger. I knew I'd make it up on the downhill side, but it was lower than my normal runs, so I knew it was going to be pucker-factor close. Had to set my heat to 62 F, and shut it off for periods of time. Squeaked into the charging station with 1 mile indicated range. Would have loved to have had the heat pump instead of resistive heating.

[tomigresz]

Hi Tommy, thanks for your videos! Just bought my Mini Cooper SE (it arrived 2 weeks ago). My first question: is it really so dramatic if i don’t park my EV in a garage over the winter months? Talking about battery life on a long term. Is it more likely to have my battery in the toilet sooner than some other EVs which have been parked in a garage over the years? I believe that not many people can afford a garage

[EpicConspiracy]

All I know is my Lighting was fully charged when it hit -30 in Ohio last month when I went to leave for work it only had 35 Miles of range. Traded it in week after for 3.5 F150 XLT and it’s crazy I got more than I paid for it last year lol.

[manuelias]

I've noticed when you first drive, the efficiency is worse since the car uses more energy to warm up the battery. Once it settles, the eff improves (still not as good as ambient temps). The shorter the drive, the larger the difference between ambient & cold days.

[ardenthebibliophile]

Yeah I've noticed a 0.5-1 mi/kWh loss with my R1T in the cold. If it's a long road trip it will eventually creep up to a "fine" number but only after the entire drivetrain is warm

[FlyingWithSpurts]

The draw for the heating should be related to only two things, size of cabin and heater type. So if you compare the interior volume of the Mini to any other prospective vehicle with a heat pump you can then compare the battery size to determine how much % difference you will get. The small battery of the EV means that a (making up notional number) 1kW draw for heating will have a larger impact on range than a 1.4kW draw for a larger car with more than twice or three times the battery size.

[driftlessheights]

Thanks. That was interesting.
Sorry to nerd out here. but, a longer test should not have produced a higher change in efficiency, I think.
Don't apologize for that.

Generally, the longer the test the higher the reliability of the test.
For example if you had driven 1000 miles, noting all the rechange amounts along the way, it would simply average out the variables in road conditions.
So the reliability of your data would improve.
However the difference in the efficiency should still be about the same.

Love your work!!!
I am so happy I found this channel a few months ago while I wait for my Silverado EV..