Why Does the Range of Pure Electric Cars Decrease in Winter?
2 Answers
Reasons for the decreased range of pure electric cars in winter: For lithium batteries, low temperatures affect the activity of the positive and negative electrode materials, the internal resistance of the battery, and the charging and discharging voltage. The lower the temperature, the lower the activity of the electrode materials, the fewer lithium ions move in the electrolyte, and the higher the energy required to drive their movement. Under these conditions, the apparent manifestation is reduced battery capacity. When the temperature drops from 25 degrees to minus 20 degrees, the amount of electricity that the car's power battery can release decreases by 30%, and the charging time also increases accordingly. In low-temperature environments, electric vehicles often experience difficulties in charging and a significant reduction in driving range.
I've been driving a pure electric sedan for three years, and every winter the range noticeably drops, like from the usual 400 kilometers to just over 300. The main issue is that the battery becomes sluggish in cold weather, with slow chemical reactions, plus the heater consumes a huge amount of power, as the car struggles to keep itself warm. I remember one time when I took a long trip at minus five degrees, and after just half an hour of using the heating system, it had eaten up half the range, with the battery icon flashing frantically. It's completely different from gasoline cars, which can rely on waste heat from the engine for heating, making it much easier. But now I've learned to be smarter—I use the mobile app to preheat the battery for 10 minutes before heading out, and while driving, I rely more on seat heaters rather than the full AC, which saves a lot of power. Planning routes to avoid heavy snow and wind areas also helps.
