Driving in winter can be hard. Your car can be difficult to start in the morning, the roads can be slippery, and your tires can be too hard for good grip. It is not also different when you’re planning for travel and you want a car shipping.
If you drive an electric car, however, there is an additional area of complication to consider. Just as cold weather can drain the battery in a regular car, it can affect the range of an electric car’s battery pack, as well. It doesn’t have to be that way, however. With a few precautions taken, you can make sure that your car’s battery pack remains up and running.
To begin, why does cold weather affect batteries?
When it’s cold, it slows down the chemical reactions that need to take place in a battery for it to produce power. For this reason, there is simply less energy available in cold weather to start or move a car. Some cars warm their batteries up in order to make them more efficient, but that act, by itself, drains the battery.
The fact that cold batteries take longer to charge can mean that there is less power to use, as well. A battery that charges 80% in a half hour at about 70°F, for instance, is likely to charge to only 50% in the same amount of time, if the temperature drops by half to around 35°F. Charging can take three times as long when temperatures drop even further, to sub-zero levels.
Here’s what you need to do to get more range out of your car in winter
Getting more range out of your battery-driven car can take some sacrifice.
Use the seat warmers
In a regular car, the cabin heater makes use of engine heat by passing air over the engine, and pumping the air into the cabin. With an electric car, however, the engine simply hasn’t enough heat. Whatever heat is generated by the cabin heater, it comes about through the use of battery power. Cabin heating can greatly drain the battery, for this reason. The only way to avoid the drain is to use other, more modest sources of heat. The seat warmers and the heaters built into the steering wheel grips can make you feel warm even as they keep the battery alive.
Make full use of your garage
If your garage is heated, you should use the heat to warm your car up as you charge it. A car that isn’t cold is likely to charge much better. You should also think about doing all the cabin preheating and battery heating that you need, while your car is plugged in. It won’t drain the battery, and your car will be ready to go by the time you’re done.
Be economical as you drive
Most of the rules of fuel economy that go with driving gasoline-powered cars apply to battery-driven cars. From driving on properly inflated tires to avoiding high-speed acceleration and keeping your speed down to an economical level, good, responsible driving helps extend battery life.
Finally, it’s important to make sure that your car never carries unnecessary weight. From snow on the roof to stuff that sits in your boot all the time, clearing it all up can help you get more range out of your car.
While it may seem as if driving to maximize battery life requires sacrifices that are inconvenient, these tips do help make sure that you are never stranded. It’s a great reward for the sacrifices required.
