The Shocking Reality Of EVs Vs. Winter!

Driving in the winter season can be tricky especially when the roads are covered with regular snow or black ice. However, the risk factor for electric car owners is on another level as EVs behave differently when the temperature drops below freezing!

How the Winter Season Affects Electric Vehicles?

According to the collective opinion of experts associated with brands that manufacture automotive GPS devices, the lithium-ion battery packs inside electric vehicles tend to become less efficient when the temperature drops.

The other ill effects of the winter season on electric vehicles are as follows.

Lower driving range

Even if an EV has the latest OBD2 port-compatible vehicle tracking equipment installed, which allows its owner to plan the trip and ascertain that the battery pack will not deplete completely before the trip ends, the owner almost always will face situations where the EV runs out of juice.

The reason is simple – EV battery packs lose their efficiency by more than 20% when the ambient temperature falls below freezing!

Increased charging time

As the overall efficiency of electric vehicle battery packs drops by 20% or more when the winter season rolls in, it is natural for the said battery packs to take more time to fully recharge.

It means that during the winter season, you cannot rely fully on an electric vehicle for all your commuting needs. You would need to have at least one internal combustion engine-powered vehicle in your garage to ensure that you or your loved ones never get stuck out in the blistering cold with a broken-down vehicle.

Reduced battery output

During the winter season, the battery packs of EVs tend to produce less power than they should. It means that an EV will take more time to reach a certain speed. Furthermore, under load, the EV may even stop completely from marching forward, yikes!

Tips To Prepare Your Electric Vehicle For The Winter Season

So how do you prepare your EV for the winter season?

That’s simple!

Just follow the tips mentioned below.

• Make sure that your electric vehicle’s battery pack is fully charged.
• Don’t forget to engage regenerative braking while driving downhill.
• Ensure that you keep the battery pack of your electric vehicle warm which can be achieved by regularly driving the vehicle.

EV Owners Need To Embrace The Quirks Of EV Technology!

Electric vehicle owners need to understand and embrace the quirkiness of EV technology. And by embracing, we are trying to point out that EV owners need to be extra careful while driving their EVs during the cold and unforgiving seasons.

Apart from following the tips mentioned in the above section, EV owners should make sure that their vehicles are wearing winter tires. Additionally, it is very important that one plans their route in detail using a Vyncs GPS tracker or any other GPS tracking device for that matter in a bid to ascertain they will have access to food, rest stops, and EV charging stations during a trip.