Here are 8 tips for the best EV winter range and performance
Whether you’re a seasoned EV driver in cold climates or this is your first winter driving an electric vehicle, there’s always more to learn about how to get the best range and performance from your EV when the temperatures drop.
Electrek asked two experts for smart winter EV driving advice. This is what Richard Reina, the product training director at CARiD.com, and Casey Donahue, an energy analyst working as the CEO of Optiwatt, a residential managed charging platform in North America, had to say.
Park in a garage if possible. “It’s always best practice in the winter to park your EV in a garage. Even an unheated garage provides some protection from the cold. A temperature difference of even a few degrees means that the battery of your EV can hold its charge longer. EV batteries lose some range with every degree drop in temperature.” – Richard Reina
Schedule departure. “Scheduling departure gives you the time needed to precondition your vehicle and lets users maximize range by allowing the battery enough time to charge. If you can, try to schedule your departure to allow for preconditioning as well as a full charge. For example, our Optiwatt app can precondition your car for you if you tell it when you want to leave.” – Casey Donahue
Precondition prior to charging. “It’s important to precondition your EV prior to charging because of the negative effects a cold battery can have on vehicle operation. For example, a cold battery drains much faster than a conditioned one. If users want to maximize range, they should warm up their EV just as they would a traditional vehicle. A cold battery can also have a negative effect on regenerative braking, and preconditioning the battery allows regenerative braking to kick in, maximizing the efficiency of the vehicle.” – Casey Donahue
Charge your EV strategically. “A lot goes into getting the most out of the battery in your EV, including when you should charge it, how long you should charge it and more. If you are able to charge at home, you should fully charge it overnight. EV batteries lose range in the colder weather, so starting the day with a full charge is smart and safe.” – Richard Reina
“It’s also important to consider the general wear and tear the harsh weather has on your vehicle, so park it in a covered structure if you can.” – Casey Donahue
[Editor’s note: It’s safe to assume you’re going to experience 30% range reduction in the winter, so plan trips with that in mind.]
Use Eco Mode and reduce use of electric features. “Eco Mode exists to boost your battery’s range by limiting energy supply and power consumption. It maximizes your battery’s efficiency, and it works during cold weather as well. While in Eco Mode, some of your car’s features receive less power so do not perform to the same level. For example, power for acceleration may be reduced. At the same time, consider limiting use of certain electric features, such as heated seats. The EV’s heating system can also be turned down a few degrees. Combined, these steps help conserve battery power.” – Richard Reina
Perform winter prep. “For internal combustion engine vehicles, it’s long been recommended that steps be taken to maximize fuel economy. For example, unnecessary weight should be removed from the car; tires should be properly inflated, rapid acceleration should be avoided, and cruise control should be used to maintain a steady speed. All these tips equally apply to EVs. Almost all EVs have a range meter visible to the driver, so the driver can learn which speeds and driving habits deliver the best driving range.” – Richard Reina
Be prepared for charging at public charging stations. “Public charging stations can get extremely crowded during the winter, especially around long weekends and holidays. Plan your route ahead of time and try to find a large charging site with an ample number of charging stations.” – Casey Donahue
Prepare for a worst-case weather scenario. “If embarking on a longer trip and/or facing the possibility of a storm, be prepared. Before departing, locate EV charging stations along your route. Ensure your cell phone is fully charged and carry a phone charger or portable battery. Have warm clothes, blankets, water, non-perishable food and a small shovel in the EV with you, in case conditions deteriorate and prevent you from continuing.” – Richard Reina
“During the winter, it’s always a good idea to prepare for power outages, especially if you live in a state that experiences blackouts frequently. Check regularly for winter weather advisories and try to charge your car to full battery prior to any severe weather.” – Casey Donahue
And here’s a bonus tip, via Drive Electric Vermont: If you accelerate slowly, brake slowly, let off on the accelerator as you crest a hill, and anticipate stoplights and slow down, it will help maximize the use of regen braking that puts energy back in the battery instead of wasting it with mechanical brakes.
Got any EV winter driving tips that you want to share? Let us know in the comments below.
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A new report states that Tesla will pause part of new Model Y production at Gigafactory Shanghai for 3 weeks to upgrade the lines.
The shutdown will extend beyond the regular Chinese New Year.
The Chinese New Year is technically 2 weeks long, but the official holiday lasts a week, during which significant parts of the country’s industries shut down.
That includes the auto industry and Tesla, but it looks like the American automaker plans to do things a bit differently this year after having just started production of its updated Model Y at Gigafactory Shanghai.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Tesla plans to shut down part of its new Model Y production lines from around January 22 to February 14.
In comparison, Tesla only plans to shut down production of the Model 3, the only other vehicle produced at the plant, from January 26 to February 3.
Tesla only recently started production of the updated version of its best-selling electric SUV. The report states that the automaker will take advantage of this extended Lunar New Year shutdown to upgrade parts of the production lines in order to streamline and ramp up production capacity.
The automaker delivered about 480,000 Model Ys in China in 2024 – up about 5% year-over-year.
Reports claimed that Tesla received over 50,000 orders for the updated vehicle version in the first 24 hours of the unveiling.
Electrek’s Take
It makes sense. Over the last few weeks, Tesla has basically been running a pilot of production of the upgraded version, which is entirely different from the previous version, but there are enough differences that new parts and processes can create bottlenecks.
Tesla likely found ways to optimize production during that time and now will implement it during this extended shutdown.
We will try to keep track of the Model Y production and rollout in China as any delay or production issues can be extremely impactful, considering the Model Y is the world’s best-selling EV and China is the biggest EV market.
Any kind of issue there can be extremely impactful on Tesla and the broader EV market.
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American Honda shared a business outlook for 2025 during a recent briefing with the media. In terms of electrification, the next 12 months for Honda will be much of the same: facelifting tried-and-true ICE models like the CR-V and Passport. However, there was one exciting piece of news from Honda on the BEV front—the automaker has confirmed it will begin US production of an Acura RSX EV.
Honda and its premium sub-brand Acura, for that matter, are getting more and more coverage on Electrek’s homepage thanks to the combined efforts in adding new BEV models… although that transition has still been relatively slow compared to other OEMs.
Nevertheless, Honda launched the all-electric Prologue, which has found quick success with US consumers. Shortly thereafter, Acura launched the ZDX, which sits atop the same Ultium platform as Prologue, provided through a partnership with GM.
Honda has since backed out of that partnership—at least the part where GM provides vehicle architecture—and has been developing its own in-house platform that will one day power its new 0 Series lineup of BEVs. These originally debuted at CES 2024 and remerged at this year’s event as prototypes—and now they’re white! They will also feature a new proprietary vehicle OS called ASIMO (more on that below).
While we await the arrival of those Honda BEVs, we can expect to see a new Acura model hit the market first, based on an SUV called the Performance EV Concept, which debuted at Monterey Car Week this past August. At the time, the Acura Design Studio described the concept as “the evolution of Acura’s performance-focused design direction and the brand’s next all-electric model.”
That new production model didn’t have a name yet, but we did learn it would be the first BEV to debut on Honda’s new bespoke platform and the first all-electric model to roll off its assembly lines at the new Honda EV Hub in Marysville, Ohio.
Today, we learned that the Performance EV Concept has evolved into a full-fledged passenger model with a familiar name – the Acura RSX EV.
Acura brings back the “RSX” nameplate as an EV SUV
During a media briefing earlier this week, American Honda shared its 2025 outlook, led by vice president of sales, Lance Woelfer. This year’s strategy includes the production of its first original BEV in Ohio using domestically and globally sourced parts as a new hybrid model and several ICE vehicles (boo).
Woelfer confirmed that the first bespoke all-electric model coming out of Ohio will be the Acura RSX EV. This move marks the return of a notable nameplate in the Acura lineup that evolved from the original Honda Integra. The Acura RSX was sold in North America from the early- to mid-2000s and still has a decent fanbase, especially amongst fans of the Honda Integra and Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) enthusiasts.
Acura revived the Integra nameplate in 2021 as a Honda Civic-based liftback, and although that model is sharp, it remains combustion, hence why Acura has revived the RSX name as an EV model. Per Mike Langel, assistant vice president, Acura National Sales.
The nameplate pays homage to the Acura RSX with its coupe-like silhouette, but it truly represents a forward-looking approach to fun-to-drive performance. Our second all-electric SUV will solidify our EV credentials even as its ICE stablemates, the all-new ADX, RDX, MDX, TLX and Integra continue to attract new buyers to the Acura brand.
The Acura RSX EV, seen in a unique camo wrap above, looks quite sleek, but I predict Integra and RSX purists may reject this new model out of the gate because it’s undeniably an SUV, not a sporty compact like the vehicle(s) it’s named after. This reminds me of when Ford introduced the Mustang Mach-E, and brand loyalists argued, “That’s not a Mustang.” Just like the Mach-E, the Acura RSX EV represents a new generation of performance models, no matter what you call it.
The new SUV also represents a massive step for Honda and its premium brand, as the Acura RSX EV will be the first model to utilize Honda’s new EV platform and its new ASIMO OS operating system introduced at CES 2025. At the time, Honda said ASIMO will constantly update its in-vehicle software via over-the-air (OTA) updates for both the digital UX and integrated dynamics controls that will allow the automaker to deliver “a personalized ownership experience that will enhance the joy of driving.”
Acura says the RSX EV is slotted to begin development testing in real-world conditions this week ahead of planned production in Ohio later this year. We plan to visit Honda’s EV Hub later this month, so perhaps we can capture some images of where this new SUV will be built or, better yet, look at the prototype up close.
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