Today is Friday, March 15, 2024.
After yesterday's "hot" post about a charging station for electric cars (EV) that runs on used vegetable cooking oil, located in the middle of the Australian Nullarbor arid region, today we will give an idea about how cold weather could affect EVs.
A few weeks ago, Euronews posted a guide to driving and charging EVs in winter. Here are the highlights.
All car types - combustion and electric - work better at ambient temperatures. Low temperatures mean less efficiently.
When the temperature drops, the range is reduced. According to a study quoted in that article, the loss of range in an EV can vary from 10 per cent to 30 per cent of a car’s official range.
The capacity of the battery, essentially the amount of energy the battery can hold, also shrinks. Discharge can also accelerate.
In extreme cold, the charging points can also be affected and the result can be a considerably slower charging time so you can expect to spend longer at charging stations during winter.
Click at the image below for the Euronews article "Does cold weather affect your EV? A guide to driving and charging in winter", that includes a topic "What can be done to lessen the impact?".
Last but not least, you might be also interested in this other article "Crash test data in the US shows EVs may be too heavy to be stopped by safety guardrails on roads".
Electric cars, generally front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, tend to have a low centre of gravity due to the positioning of the batteries and this can help increase traction and improve stability in slippery conditions. But it's important to remember that EVs are heavier than similarly sized petrol and diesel cars so in the event of a skid it may be harder to get the car under control. Current road barriers do not match heavier EVs.
