Worried about winter range loss? See how over a dozen EVs compare
As more and more consumers seek out new information while they mull the possibility of transitioning to an all-electric vehicle, a slew of commonly questions arise. “Can I take my EV through the car wash? How long will it take to charge? Where is all that electricity going to come from?” and most importantly today, “Will my EV lose range in winter weather?” The short answer is yes but probably not as much as you may think … Unless perhaps you own a VW ID.4. More below!
Table of contents
Why do EVs lose range in colder winter weather?
Science! Current battery chemistry in lithium-ion cells requires a liquid electrolyte and reactions to occur in order for an EV’s battery modules to deliver electricity in the form of range for your journey. Colder temperatures in winter slow those physical and chemical reactions down, resulting in less available range.
Another reason for winter range loss is the efficiency of the electric motor itself. Compared to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, EVs are much more efficient in their energy usage. For example, much of the heat produced during engine combustion goes to waste but can also be redirected to heat the cabin of your vehicle. That’s why features like remote start are popular in colder climates, so your engine and cabin have time to warm up before you depart.
EV motors produce excess heat too, especially when charging at home and converting AC power to DC. However, that heat produced is used to warm the EV’s battery to prevent long-term damage and maximize range. Furthermore, that heat is usually not sent to the cabin to warm up those leather seats you absolutely had to have, so cabin heat can also draw from the EV’s pack, contributing to range loss.
Battery preconditioning on a home charger and the widespread implementation of heat pumps have significantly helped EVs drive longer and more efficiently in winter conditions, but until solid-state batteries truly scale, the cold will remain an inhibitor of EV range.
All that said, which EV you’re driving may also have a role in how much range you’ll be able to gather on an average winter day. As you’ll see below, not all EVs are equally equipped to handle the cold.
How the data was gathered
The study of winter range loss across thirteen popular EV models comes from Recurrent – a company that provides free battery monitoring for over 10,000 EV owners in the United States alone. Each vehicle battery is checked several times per day through onboard telematics (with the driver’s permission of course).
Those battery insights over the weeks and months allow Recurrent to draw conclusions about an individual vehicle’s current range, how that range will fluctuate in different conditions, and how it compares to hundreds or thousands of similar vehicles.
In this instance, Recurrent aggregated and anonymized data from 7,000 vehicles in its EV community, as well as tens of thousands of data points from on-board devices that provide data on energy usage. The result is both estimated and verified range loss in EVs comparing temperatures of 70℉ to 20-30℉. Take a look.
Which of these popular EVs loses the most range in winter?
Before you dig in below, we want to ensure you understand the two types of winter range data below:
- Estimated winter range: Based on on-board telematics and reflect the OEMs proprietary range calculations and software.
- Verified winter range: Based on original Recurrent research using a combination of on-board devices and real-time usage data providing more than 35,000 datapoints.
For our best and worst below, we’ve only chosen EVs with verified winter ranges. Here are the results.
Lowest amount of verified range loss
Per verified Recurrent data, Tesla’s Model Y is the clear winner on the list, offering just 18% loss of range in freezing temperatures. The Long Range AWD version of the crossover sedan delivered 48% of its EPA estimated range in temperatures between 20-30℉, compared to 66% of EPA range at 70℉.
For any Tesla fans out there that say their EV doesn’t lose range in the cold, hate to break it to you but it does. Tesla’s tend to use EPA efficiency to display your remaining range, so you may not notice, but there is definitely a difference. All that said, Tesla has some of the best numbers on the list, particularly in its larger vehicles.
Highest verified range loss
The Volkswagen ID.4 tops our list as the verified worst performing EV above and it was designed by a German automaker with plenty of experience in winter conditions. Go figure.
The 82 kWh battery of Volkswagen’s all-electric SUV lost 30% of its EPA range in colder conditions. A main culprit of this energy loss is the EV’s lack of heat pump, at least in the United States. So, it must draw additional battery power to heat the cabin.
You may be able to find an ID.4 with a heat pump in Canada, or better yet, Europe. Or, you can bundle up in your favorite parka, scarf, and mittens, then warm up the cabin with your own body heat to keep that range. Who wants to try and report back to us?
Despite clear evidence that winter weather does affect EV range, there are several measures you can take to limit the toll it takes on your EV’s battery. In addition to temperature conditions, other factors like driving style and cargo also affect how much of your EV’s EPA range you’ll be able to utilize.
Here are some tips to send you off with:
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Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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As “extreme” weather events become more commonplace, the demand for reliable and portable energy continues to rise. In response to that growing demand for dependable off-grid power, Volvo has developed the new PU500 Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) designed to take electrical power when it’s needed most.
Designed to be deployable in a number of environments at a moment’s notice, the Volvo Energy PU500 BESS is equipped with approximately 500 kWh of usable battery capacity (up to 540 kWh total). More than enough juice, in other words, to power a remote construction site, disaster response effort, or even a music festival – anything that needs access to reliable electricity beyond a grid connection.
That’s great, but what sets the PU500 apart from other battery storage solutions is its integrated 240 kW DC fast charger.
“With an integrated CCS2 charger, the PU500 is designed to work with all brands of electric equipment, trucks, and passenger cars,” says Niklas Thulin, Head of BESS Product Offer at Volvo Energy. “This ensures that no matter what type of electric vehicle or machinery you rely on, the PU500 can provide the power you need, making it a truly flexible solution for any grid constrained site or location.”
The integrated charger in the PU500 has the impressive ability to charge a heavy equipment asset (be that an electric semi truck or something like a wheel loader) in under two hours. Its on-board capacity allows to fully recharge up to 3 electric HD trucks or 20 electric cars per day, making it an incredibly versatile disaster response asset.
Electrek’s Take
As we often say over at The Heavy Equipment Podcast, “just because you’re working for the power company doesn’t mean you have power,” and there are hundreds of scenarios where the extra power provided by something like the new PU500 would be useful. Its ability to be palletized and easily moved or swapped out of a larger BESS array, too, just add to its flexibility.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo.
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