Electric Cars in Winter: 7 Tips to Increase your Reach in Cold Weather

One of the reasons why electric vehicles have a shorter range in winter is that unlike traditional internal combustion engines, electric motors do not generate waste heat that can be used for heating. Moreover, the need to heat the traction battery further consumes extra energy.

Different car models respond differently to cold weather. For example, in the 2022 ADAC test, the Fiat 500e with the smallest battery (37 kWh) among the test participants became the test winner as it experienced a 25% reduction in range at -7°C compared to 14°C, whereas the VW ID.3 lost 50% of its range in the same test. Later that year, VW began offering its customers the 2.4 software update, which promises to reduce energy consumption through optimised thermal management.

One thing is certain: in winter when it is cold weather outside, electric cars have reduced range. To ensure a comfortable and stress-free drive during frosty months, it's important to have an energy-saving strategy for both short and long trips. 

Our go-e team has prepared seven tips to help you enjoy your winter journeys to the full and drive in an environmentally friendly way. 

One of the major reasons the battery of your electric car drains quickly in winter is heating. It's fine to ride for five or ten minutes with your jacket warming you up. But if you're going to be on the road for half an hour or more, you'll probably want to take it off. So no heating is not really an option. But what if you switch from cabin heating to seat and steering wheel heating? This way, you use the power much more efficiently. 

This tip is for those who have a wallbox at home. Make it a habit to go to the car and turn on the heating with a cup of your morning espresso or cappuccino, before you drive off. The car should be connected to and actively charging from a wallbox. During this time, you draw energy from the power grid instead of draining your battery. Not only is it nice to start your journey in a pleasantly warm car, but it also conserves your precious battery power. Do the same when you stop for charging at public charging points. 

Many electric vehicles also offer the option of preheating via a mobile app and even preheating scheduling. This way, you don't even need to interrupt your morning routine. For instance, if your car has been charged on schedule during the night with the go-e Charger and is still connected to the smart wallbox, simply activate the charging process in the go-e Charger app some minutes before leaving the house and then, use your car app to activate the preheating or let it do this automatically as scheduled. 

The heating requires different amounts of current depending on the vehicle, but it is normally less than 6 A. The go-e Charger needs to be activated for regular charging, which means that the scheduler, ECO mode, Next Trip mode or RFID access restriction should be switched off. The vehicle draws the required energy from the charger independently, as the vehicle has to start the charging process.

In addition, do not leave the windows open for long periods of time when driving, as this might cause some heat loss.

Another strategy for optimising your vehicle's performance in cold weather is to maintain a constant speed. This means that you should avoid sudden acceleration and aggressive braking, as this can drain the battery quickly. It's a similar story with combustion engine vehicles - the less you accelerate, the more fuel you save. 

In winter, cruise control is not only a convenience for long highway journeys, but also a good way to extend your range. With cruise control, you can set a constant speed so that the on-board computer of your electric vehicle can control the power output more efficiently. 

Also, consider reducing your normal speed. The higher the speed, the faster the battery drain. Going from 120 km/h to 110 km/h will already make a difference.

Winter is a perfect time to explore new places, whether it's going to the mountains, finally visiting those beautiful castles you've only heard about, or travelling to other cities for magical Christmas markets. These adventures mean that you will be travelling on unfamiliar routes. To enjoy your journey, we recommend that you make a plan so that you don't get lost and waste battery power by circling around looking for the right directions.

If you need an extra charge while travelling, consider including one or two charging stations in your itinerary. Many electric cars offer charging station search via the navigation system. There are also mobile apps designed to help you find these charging stations. ChargeFinder, for example, not only provides information about charging locations, but also shows nearby facilities, such as restaurants, museums, and supermarkets. This allows you to plan a convenient stop for lunch or to see interesting exhibitions while your car is charging.

In summer, you may not pay much attention to fully charging your electric vehicle's battery. However, when winter arrives, especially if it is your first winter with an electric vehicle and you don't know how it reacts to lower temperatures, it is very important to take the opportunity to charge your car to a higher level. 

If you're planning on driving more than just a few kilometres to and from the supermarket, for example, it is a good idea to charge up to 100%. However, if you only have short journeys of 1-3 km ahead of you, charge to no more than 90%, as the car should not be left idle for days on end on a 100% charged battery.

The thing is, in winter, the battery loses charge much faster because it has to work harder to power and heat your electric vehicle. Imagine being stuck in traffic on a -8°C day and having the heating on for 30 minutes or more. That's going to cost you quite some battery power. So you will definitely thank yourself for having fully charged it the night before. 

With a smart wallbox such as the go-e Charger Gemini or Gemini flex, you can conveniently schedule nighttime charging in the app and even set an energy limit. After reaching it, the charger stops charging. Many cars can also be configured via the display or app to only charge to 90% or 100%. But not every electric car offers this option. And 95%, for example, is often not possible.

What's more, you can take advantage of flexible electricity tariffs. These tariffs allow your vehicle to charge when the overall electricity demand in your region or country is at its lowest. A wallbox equipped with integrated electricity providers, such as the go-e Charger, continuously monitors electricity prices in real time and initiates charging during the most cost-effective periods. That’s just one of the ways you can save money with this smart wallbox.

The eco mode in an electric car works in a similar way to the energy-saving modes in electronic devices, where it limits the maximum energy consumption. This means that the electric vehicle only uses a limited amount of power even when accelerating hard and therefore consumes less energy. With the eco mode, you can drive further on a single charge. 

Furthermore, the eco mode can make your vehicle safer to drive in winter. By reducing the power to the motor, the vehicle accelerates more slowly, which decreases the chance of wheel slip on ice or snowy roads.

So, before winter sets in, it's a good idea to read your car's manual to understand how to use eco mode effectively and get the most out of your electric car in the cold weather.

You may not always have the option to choose between outdoor parking and a garage, but if the choice is yours, a garage is the way to go. The relatively warmer environment in a garage helps maintain your battery's charge for a longer duration.

Avoid  short journeys with extended periods of inactivity in between. For example, if you're planning a road trip with multiple sightseeing stops that involve long breaks, be mindful that these long stops can cause the car's interior and battery to cool down. As a result, the car may need to repeatedly heat up both the interior and the battery, leading to energy inefficiency.

Don't carry around stuff in your car's trunk that you don't need all the time. For example, a child seat or booster seat you don’t need for this journey or beverage crate(s) from your last grocery shopping.

When you load up your trunk with unnecessary things, your car gets heavier and has to work harder to move it, which means it's using up the battery faster. So if you want to save money on charging and not let the power go to waste, you should only keep what you really need.

A heat pump in electric cars cuts power use by using battery heat to warm the car. This saves energy and increases the range of your car, especially in cold weather. However, such pumps often cost extra as an optional feature.

You may be wondering why we haven't included regenerative braking in this list. After all, this feature is known for being able to magically increase your range, right? When it comes to driving in winter, that's not quite the case.

In winter, it is better to scale down the regenerative braking capability to steer clear of perilous scenarios. Additionally, recuperation is weaker at low temperatures.

Nextmove conducted a test at the ADAC Driving Safety Centre in Leipzig-Halle to investigate how the vehicles behave when braking and recovering energy on test tracks that resemble snow-covered surfaces. Some of the vehicles were fitted with winter tyres, others with all-season tyres.

The key finding of the test is that at low speeds, up to 40 km/h, regenerative braking has only a minimal effect on the cars' handling. From a speed of 50 km/h, however, a clear difference is quite noticeable. Rear-wheel drive vehicles tend to become unstable and even roll over when subjected to heavy regenerative braking. The use of conventional mechanical brakes without regenerative braking, on the other hand, significantly improves the stability of the test vehicle. So, whether you use regenerative braking or not depends very much on the speed at which you are travelling and the road conditions.