How can you protect your electric car battery from the winter cold?
How can you protect your electric car battery from the winter cold?
In winter, temperatures put your electric car's battery to the test, reducing its range and lengthening recharging times. Here's some practical advice on how to optimise your battery's charge and get the best out of your electric car in the winter cold.
Prepare your electric car battery for cold weather
The impact of cold weather on the battery
At temperatures below 0°C, your battery’s capacity decreases as the cold slows down the chemical reactions that are essential for it to function properly. The result: you lose between 20% and 40% of range! According to a study by the AAA (American Automobile Association), from -6°C your electric car can even lose up to 41% of its range. As a consequence, long journeys become more complicated and require more careful planning.
The cold also has a direct impact on the recharging time of your electric vehicle, which increases significantly, by up to 25% in winter. This phenomenon even affects fast-charging stations, since the battery needs to reach optimum temperature to be charged efficiently.
How to keep your battery at the right temperature
If knowing how to protect your battery from the cold is essential, understanding why you need to heat your electric car battery before recharging is even more so. Here are a few tips to help you better manage the temperature of your battery and extend its life.
First of all, we recommend charging your vehicle just after driving. A battery that is still warm makes it easier and more efficient to recharge in cold weather. Furthermore, opt for slow charging stations: unlike fast stations, they allow less aggressive charging, which is ideal for preserving the health of your battery over the long term.
In winter, it’s important to protect your vehicle from the cold so that the battery doesn’t get too cold. If possible, park in a covered or sheltered car park. Plug in your car about an hour before you want to charge it, to preheat the battery and improve its efficiency during the charge.
When in use, your electric battery works by converting the energy it has stored into electricity to power your vehicle. It is the transfer between the negative and positive electrodes that generates the charge or discharge, and this transfer is strongly affected by outside temperatures…
Adapt your driving in winter
Reduce vehicle battery consumption
In winter, adapting your driving style can considerably reduce the battery consumption of your electric vehicle. To save energy as much as possible, adopt a flexible driving style. Avoid sudden acceleration and braking, which put extra strain on the battery.
Reducing your speed is also an effective tip: driving at a moderate pace limits consumption and extends your vehicle’s range.
You should also be careful to limit the charging of external devices (phones, tablets, etc.), which draw on your battery’s reserves.
Finally, don’t forget to check your tyre pressure: under-inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, which has an impact on your car’s fuel efficiency.
By taking these simple steps, you can travel more kilometres using less energy, while driving in complete safety, even in difficult winter conditions.
Optimise the heating of your electric car
In winter, managing the heating of your electric car can make all the difference. A few simple steps can maximise your car’s range and ensure that your journeys are more economical and stress-free.
Before setting off, think about preheating the interior while your vehicle is still charging. This will allow you to heat up the interior without drawing on the battery during the journey, and to consume fuel more efficiently.
Once you’re on the road, opt for seat heating, a more targeted and economical mode that keeps you comfortable without putting excessive strain on the battery to heat the whole interior.
In cold weather, it’s advisable to maintain at least 20% range to allow the lithium battery to restart properly.
It helps preserve your electric car’s battery by reducing engine power, optimising heating and limiting the use of additional features.
In winter, optimising recharging, adapting your driving style and protecting your electric vehicle from the cold are simple steps you can take to preserve range and extend the life of your battery.
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