- EVs with a heat pump retain 83% of their real-world range in freezing temperatures on average.
- Meanwhile, EVs without a heat pump lose roughly 25% of their real-world range on average.
- Having a heat pump isn’t everything, though; some EVs without one can still deliver over 80% of their real-world range in the cold.
No matter what type of car you drive, cold weather means the fuel efficiency will go down. In the case of combustion cars, the fuel consumption will go up because cold air is denser than warm air, and because the fluids are colder, which leads to increased friction.
In the case of electric vehicles, more heat is needed to warm the cabin–and because EVs are much more efficient than ICE cars, there’s little to no waste heat that can be funneled inside. As a result, more energy needs to be used from the high-voltage battery to warm the interior. But while there is a potential fix for this problem–as you’ll find out further down in this article–there is no fix for the battery’s chemistry being affected by the cold.
In short, freezing temperatures mean electricity has a harder time flowing through the battery, leading to longer recharge times and a lower power level. The good news is that these annoyances go away once the weather gets warmer.
Until that happens, though, it would be nice to know how different EVs perform in the cold. And here’s where Recurrent’s latest study comes in handy. It analyzed data from over 18,000 battery-powered cars in the United States and came up with a nice chart showing how 20 of the most popular EVs in the country are affected by freezing temps.
The startup, which collects data anonymously from EVs, found that having a heat pump can mitigate cold weather range loss by around 10% on average, compared to having a conventional resistance heater which is less efficient. A heat pump works by transferring heat from the outside air and works as an air conditioner in reverse–it uses refrigerant and compression to produce hot air.
Of the 20 cars on the list, the Volkswagen ID.4 loses the most range in freezing temperatures, according to Recurrent.
For instance, a Tesla Model 3 with a heat pump loses 13% of its real-world range in the cold, whereas a Tesla Model 3 without a heat pump loses 21% of its range, according to Recurrent’s data.
On average, the vehicles with heat pumps retain 83% of the range in freezing conditions compared to 75% of the range without heat pumps on average, the startup said.
Compared to ideal conditions; Freezing temperatures represent 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius; Ideal conditions mean between 68F and 74F.
| Model | Heat Pump | Real-World Range In The Cold Compared To Ideal Conditions |
| Tesla Model X | Yes | 89% |
| Tesla Model S | Yes | 88% |
| Audi e-tron | Yes | 87% |
| Tesla Model 3 | Yes | 87% |
| Tesla Model Y | Yes | 86% |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Yes | 85% |
| Hyundai Kona | Yes | 84% |
| Rivian R1S | No | 83% |
| BMW iX | Yes | 83% |
| Nissan Ariya | Yes | 83% |
| Kia EV9 | Yes | 82% |
| Rivian R1T | No | 81% |
| Kia EV6 | Yes | 80% |
| Tesla Model 3 | No | 79% |
| Nissan Leaf | No | 78% |
| Tesla Model S | No | 77% |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | No | 74% |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV | Yes | 74% |
| Cadillac Lyriq | Yes | 72% |
| Chevrolet Bolt | No | 69% |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | No | 86% |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | No | 63% |
The outliers here are the General Motors-made Chevrolet Equinox EV and Cadillac Lyriq. Both come with heat pumps, but their cold-weather performance is well below the competition. Recurrent said it got in touch with GM after triple-checking its data and that it will update the study after it hears back. Meanwhile, the Volkswagen ID.4 without a heat pump performed the worst of the group, losing 37% of its real-world range in the cold. The ID.4 is not available with a heat pump in the U.S., but it was offered as an option for a limited time to Canadian customers before being discontinued.
One very important thing to note here is that these percentages don’t have the official EPA estimate as a starting point. Instead, they’re based on the real-world range experienced by drivers who send data to Recurrent.
So what can EV owners do to minimize range loss during winter? For starters, the cabin should be pre-heated while the car is parked and still connected to a charger. This way, energy from the grid is used instead of the battery, and you get to enjoy a toasty cabin from the get-go.
If the state of charge level declines faster than predicted, a good way to preserve range is to lower the climate system temperature and use the heated seats and heated steering wheel. This isn’t always possible, though, so as a general rule, owners should just assume that they’ll get fewer miles between recharges in the winter compared to when it’s hot outside.
This is far from groundbreaking stuff for well-versed EV drivers, but as more and more people are getting behind the wheel of a battery-powered car, it’s better to put the information out there. We have more EV winter driving tips here if you want to know how to squeeze the maximum amount of range when driving during the winter.
