The official range in modern electric cars is getting better and better, and in the summer it is usually not impossible to get close to these numbers in real life.
In winter, however, electric cars are far from as efficient, and many owners experience a drastically reduced range compared to what is promised.
However, there are a couple of tricks that can be used to maximize the electric car’s range in winter.
Can’t affect everything
A contributing factor that is difficult to influence is the road condition. When the tires have to push through water, snow or slush, it simply takes more energy and the range is reduced.
The roof box is also an option that drastically reduces the range, but at the same time it is a necessary evil for many on long trips in winter.
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Preheat the battery in your electric car
A cold battery is less efficient when charging and discharging, which is why you have to preheat the battery to achieve the desired charging speed when fast charging.
In the same way, the car must quickly heat up the battery to working temperature when you start driving. Before it is up to temperature, the efficiency is impaired, and if the battery is freezing cold, the heating itself also draws a lot of power.
If the car is connected to a charger, it is therefore good to program the electric car to preheat both the battery and the passenger compartment with electricity from the charger before each journey.
It also pays to charge at every opportunity – for example when you are shopping. It may not do much in terms of battery charge, but it does a good job of maintaining a good battery temperature.
It is important to keep track of the tire pressure in winter. Photo: TTPark in a heated garage
Another way to keep the battery at a good temperature is to park the car indoors, preferably in a warm garage.
Parking the car protected from snow also has other advantages from a range point of view.
Driving around with a lot of snow on the car is not only dangerous, but also adds weight and destroys the aerodynamics.
If you don’t have the opportunity to park your car under a roof, you do the right thing by brushing off the snow properly before you go out on the road.
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Turn down the interior heating
In addition to the propulsion, the interior heating also consumes a lot of energy, and heating the entire interior thus eats up the range considerably.
If you want to maximize the range in cold weather, it is therefore good to lower the interior heating a few degrees.
To avoid freezing, you can use the seat and steering wheel heaters instead, as these warm you directly without having to heat up everything around you.
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Check the tire pressure
That the tires are inflated to the correct pressure is important regardless of whether the car runs on electricity, petrol or diesel, and regardless of whether you drive in summer or winter.
Checking tire pressure is especially important when it’s cold because air shrinks as it cools. Tires that were properly inflated during the fall may thus be too lightly inflated when the cold hits.
Tire pressure that is too low results in increased rolling resistance, which increases consumption.
The most common car problem in winter – applies especially to electric cars