New study shows EV range drops sharply in cold weather but heat pumps may be the answer

EV range drops during cold weather, according to a new study, but heat pumps may be able to help. 

There are numerous factors that can impact the range of an electric vehicle, from how fast the car is driven to its tire pressure. 

The weather can also have an impact, with colder temperatures typically resulting in EV range drops. 

But it seems there could be a simple answer for carmakers. 

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What cold weather does to EV range

Green NCAP recently carried out ‘Cold Winter Performance’ tests on three EVs: the Dacia Spring, the Hyundai Inster, and the Volkswagen ID.4.

The tests were conducted at 19°F (-7°C) and showed that all of the cars experienced EV range drops. 

The study found the Dacia Spring had a warm-weather mixed trip driving range of around 111 miles, but found this dropped to 80 miles for mixed driving in colder temperatures.

And the study found it tumbled even further during cold-weather motorway driving, with a range of just 73 miles. 

The Hyundai Inster had an impressive warm-weather mixed driving estimated range of 200 miles, but this dropped to 136 miles for cold-weather mixed trip driving. 

Much like the Spring, it also saw a bigger drop when it came to cold-weather motorway driving, offering 165 miles in warm temperatures, compared to 123 miles in colder ones. 

Finally, the  Volkswagen ID.4 was put to the test, and it had a pretty sharp EV range drop. 

The study found that the car had around 188 miles of mixed trip driving range in warm weather, but this fell to 121 miles for cold-weather mixed driving, and 119 miles for motorway driving in colder temperatures.

But could there be a simple solution?

Heating or cooling an EV’s cabin uses a lot of energy, which then, of course, results in EV range drops. 

So, how a car is heated can have an impact on range. 

In the case of the Dacia Spring, it had a basic PTC heater that got most of the cabin warm but didn’t heat the footwells effectively, which meant that it used up a large amount of battery. 

On the other hand, the Hyundai Inster had both a PTC and a heat pump system, it also had heated seats and steering wheels, all of which meant that it could achieve comfortable driving temperatures pretty quickly and without using an excessive amount of battery power.

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