By now everyone’s heard the January 2024 horror stories from Chicago about how you can’t charge EVs in extreme cold. Memes of people pushing EVs through the snow to charge stations are flooding social media. The great green hope that are EVs is all just hype, say the likes of Fox News.
Sigh.
We’ve been here before. I’ve been doing this so long I remember the days when the same people said windmills wouldn’t work in extreme cold, or in desert heat. Solar panels wouldn’t work in the Great White North, or in rainy Great Britain. Of course they work, they work just fine. We make accommodations for the conditions, just like we do with any technology.
The same with EVs. We adjust how we use them, just as we’ve done with conventional cars.
The difference, of course, is that EVs are new. Gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles have been around for a century now. We—as drivers—have learned the hard way how to operate internal combustion engines in extreme cold.
Part of the reason for why this story “has legs” and gone viral is the “Man Bites Dog” aspect of it. That conventional vehicles don’t work well in extreme cold is well known. You go to bed at night worrying whether your “gasser” will start in the morning. EVs, on the other hand, are popular, and gaining adherents who are quick to tell the unconverted that EVs are simply superior to conventional cars. Then something like this happens that throws all that into doubt. It’s a ready-made story for the popular press.
When a story like this generates media buzz, whether it’s about windmills or EVs, I like to step back and ask myself a simple question. If this is a real problem, why haven’t I heard about it before? If extreme cold is such a problem with EVs why haven’t I heard about this in Norway, or in Sweden, or from my colleagues in Canada?
The obvious answer is, it isn’t a problem. They’ve learned how to adapt their use of EVs to make them work reliably in extreme cold.
Caveats
First, some caveats. There were issues in Chicago, mostly—but not all—related to new drivers unfamiliar with EVs. Incentives by ride-sharing companies led to a flood of inexperienced drivers in shiny new Teslas. Then there were documented failures of some charging dispensers. On top of that, the flood of new EVs may have overwhelmed the growth of fast charging infrastructure in the Chicago area.
The latter problem will work itself out in time. The Biden administration is pouring a ton of money into building fast charging stations through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A massive $5 billion building program has just begun rolling out to flood the country with new fast chargers.
We’ve Been Here Before
It was a right of passage where I grew up to learn how to start a car in extreme cold. We learned the difference between engine-block heaters and dip-stick heaters. (Block heaters were more effective, but more expensive and more difficult to install so we opted for the cheaper dip-stick heaters.) We learned the difference between various alcohol additives and when to pour them into the gas tank to keep moisture from freezing in the gas lines. We learned about cold-cranking amps in starter batteries. And we learned that an old battery was less likely to “turn over” the engine on a cold winter morning than a new one.
Because we were poor, especially as students, we spent a lot of time leaning over the fender fiddling with the carburetor (yes, it was that long ago) on frigid mornings spraying alcohol directly into the intake. Or we gingerly pulled two cars nose-to-nose to “jump start” a recalcitrant engine while trying to remember all the admonishments of how to do this safely as we untangled the jumper cables and tried to stay warm. Then standing as far back as we could when we put the last alligator clip in place and a spark snapped.
With all of that, we didn’t always get our cars started in extreme cold. We’d trudge frustrated back into the house with frozen, raw hands.
I have no desire to repeat any of that with an EV. So let’s take a tour to see how others cope with winter weather.
The Great White North
Ontario
My colleague Glen Estill was an early adopter of Tesla’s Model 3. He lives on the shore of Georgian Bay 150 miles (250 km) north of Toronto. As a Canadian, he knows winter. As a driver, he’s put more than 100,000 km (60,000+ miles) on his EV in six years, including long road trips to the warmer climes of Florida.
He’s seen the headlines. His pithy comment was, “If you don’t buy an EV because of winter performance, you don’t understand EVs.” People who don’t know how to use an EV in winter will have trouble, he says.
His advice? Leave your EV plugged in as much as possible. Warm up the cabin with “shore power” before leaving. Precondition the car’s traction battery before reaching a fast charging station.
Estill expects about a 30-35% loss of range in the winter and compensates accordingly.
Mike Brigham also lives in northern Ontario and he’s driven over 120,000 km (70,000 miles) in his Teslas. He’s never had an issue in winter. He’s only found three Tesla dispensers non-operative in all the time he’s owned one. He had far more trouble with inoperative DC fast charging stations in his previous Chevy Bolt. One night the charge cable locked to the car and he had to walk to a hotel until the Chevy dealer opened the next day. It wasn’t long after when he bought his first Tesla.
Brigham’s winter tip: warm the car up well, both the cabin and the traction battery at least 15 minutes before leaving, “while plugged in obviously.”
Jim Salmon lives in Burlington, Ontario to the west of Toronto. He’s been driving his Chevy Bolt in all weather for six yeas. He characterizes his overall experience with the Bolt as “excellent.” He has no complaints, though he’s not impressed with Chevy’s dealers.
Salmon’s winter tips? “Just be aware of the reduced mileage,” he says, “otherwise, nothing has changed for me,” relative to driving a conventional vehicle in a Canadian winter.”
He did have one incident when driving back to Burlington in a blizzard at -25 C (-13 F). Salmon and his wife Deedee were low on range. “Thank goodness for heated seats and steering wheel,” he says. “We turned off the heat in the last part of the trip and were bundled up in winter gear.” Fortunately, the guessometer (the range indicator), was conservative and “we arrived with 15 km (9 miles) to spare.” He blames no one but himself. “We were too lazy—or in too much of a hurry—to spend a few minutes to pick up some charge.”
Alberta
Tim Weis operates two older EVs in Edmonton, Alberta. Outside of Nunavut, it’s hard to beat winter temperatures in Edmonton, Alberta. There, they call Toronto the tropics of Canada.
His family uses a 2014 BMW i3 and a 2016 Tesla Model S. That’s a very early i3. New, it had a limited range of 130 km (80 miles). In the recent cold spell that plagued cities further south, such as Chicago, he still got 50 km (30 miles) of range.
He’s never had an issue with his Model S. Like later Teslas, when plugged in, it warms the traction battery before charging it.
Weis charged and drove both the Model S and the i3 this January when it was -36 C (-33 F)! It’s unlikely it was colder in Chicago.
“I’ve taken the Tesla skiing in the past,” says Weis. “It makes it comfortably to all superchargers en route at -20 C (-4 F).” He says he doesn’t know how the Model S performs below -20 C on a road trip, because “I don’t ski below -20!” Canadians are tough, but they do have their limits.
Sweden
Erik Möllerström lives in Halmstad on Sweden’s west coast. He drives a newer Nissan Leaf. He’s put snow tires on the Leaf, as required in Sweden and has driven the car in weather down to -15 C (5 F) without problems.
Apparently Swedes take their EVs and winter driving seriously. Former Olympic gold medal winner Björns Ferry had harsh words for EV critics. “If charging is a problem, then you have problems planning your life. And probably other problems too,” says Ferry in a Google translation of Björns Ferrys hårda ord mot elbilskritikerna.
The Swedish news site Expressen interviewed Ferry after his post on X (formerly known as Twitter) caused uproar in Sweden. When they reached him it was a balmy -31 C (-23.8 F).
Ferry has been driving EVs since 2016 and doesn’t take kindly to EV naysayers. “It has been like this since the beginning, this questioning. But an electric car always starts, which is an advantage if you compare it to, for example, diesel cars.”
“They hate change,” he says, “these old men who have never driven an electric car.”
“Sure, there will be less range, but it’s really not a huge problem. So this year I can drive 30 miles regardless of the weather. If it’s a perfect summer day, I can drive over 50 miles without a problem. So of course there is a big difference. But that applies to all cars; it’s just that you don’t think about it as much.”
According to the translation, Ferry says that he charges his electric car at home and mostly at night “when electricity is cheapest. “It takes two seconds to plug in the cord” as if in answer to the question of how difficult it is to charge an EV during the winter.
It’s never wise to anger a Biathlon champion.
Winter Driving Tips
Yes Virginia, you can drive an EV in extreme cold. But there are tips for making it as pain free as possible.
As Glen Estill points out.
- Stay plugged in as long as possible, and
- Pre-condition the battery before fast charging.
Because every car is different, and because battery technology is changing rapidly, you should
- Yes, read the manual.
On a road trip when you’re venturing far from home where you’ll need to fast charge along the way, remember the old ABC rule for EVs: Always be Charging.
- Always carry your mobile charge cable and know how to use it, and
- Know how to use destination chargers at hotels and resorts.
Whenever it’s possible, always charge your car. That was the golden rule in the old days when fast charging stations were few and far between–and it still applies during extreme cold weather.
If you need to spend the night, search for hotels that offer “destination chargers.” That way, you can keep your car plugged in overnight. The car then will keep the battery at the temperature it needs for best performance. You’ll have a warm car and a full charge when you leave in the morning.
Reduced Range
Remember that cold weather reduces your range and adjust your charge stops accordingly. I live in Bakersfield, California where winter weather is relatively benign. Recurrent estimates that our Chevy Bolt only loses 5% to 15% of range in the winter. In colder climes you should assume 30% to 40% loss of range. But, “Your performance may vary,” so know your car’s limitations.
Longer Charging Times
Expect to spend more time charging in extreme cold weather because the traction battery must use energy to warm itself, leaving less to actually charge the battery.
Know where you plan to charge, and have an alternate within range in case needed. Check PlugShare for reports of down chargers or queues of cars waiting to charge.
In winter, Battery Management Software (BMS) may “reserve” more of the traction battery for accommodating extremely cold temperatures. So try to keep your battery as “topped up” as possible. Don’t wait until the State-of-Charge drops below 40% to begin fast charging or the BMS may tell the car to shut down to protect the battery from damage at extremely cold temperatures.
The Weak Link
The weak link in EVs is the same as in conventional vehicles: the “starter battery.” Without it, EVs are just as dead as a gasoline-powered car that won’t start in the cold. The starter battery, or more correctly the “accessory battery” powers all the car’s accessories, including the all important computer.
If the voltage of the accessory battery falls too low, it can’t turn on the computer. And without the computer, the car can’t close the contactor, enabling the big traction battery to power the little accessory battery. (See Our Bolt is Back or How a 12-Volt Battery Can Kill an Electric Car for more about this.) If your accessory battery is dead, then your EV is “bricked” and won’t go anywhere—or do anything.
So keep an eye on your accessory battery. If you live in a cold climate, replace it after three years. And as a precaution, carry a small 12-volt lithium-ion jump start battery. This emergency battery isn’t used to “turn over” or “crank” a conventional drive train—though it can do that—but instead is used to provide enough juice to turn on the computer. Once the computer is on it will close the contactor and the computer will tell the traction battery to charge the accessory battery. Then you should be good to go.
- Carry a 12-volt lithium-ion jump start battery.
All in all, the message is simple: Learn how to use your EV to best advantage in cold weather. Drivers have been doing this for years in the Great White North and in Scandinavia. Last year 82% of new car sales in Norway were electric and they expect that EV sales will rise to 95% this year. If there was a problem with EVs in extreme cold, we would have heard about it.
Winter Range Loss (or Not) Chevy Bolt EV in Bakersfield California
Electek
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6 ways to get the best range from your EV in winter
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News From Chicago: EVs Suck In The Cold! I Flew There To See What Is Actually Happening
I’m Stuck In Traffic In An EV & It’s Freezing! How Long Can The Car Last Before I Run Out Of Charge?
I Deep Froze My Tesla And Immediately Plugged It Into A Supercharger To See What Happens
Torque News
Norway Called, And They Want Us To Stop Freaking Out About EVs And Winter
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
InsideEVs
Here’s Why Norway Hasn’t Had Trouble With Winter EV Charging
How This Guy Got Tesla Charging Right In -31 Degree Winter Weather
CleanTechnica
The Art of Driving Electric Cars in the Cold
France24
