Do you currently drive an electric vehicle or are you considering buying one? You undoubtedly want to know if electric cars are ready for Canadian winters. Regular cars do struggle in the winter, and they already produce a lot of heat. Are there any issues with electric vehicles during the winter? This article will go into detail.
Cold Morning Starts
Generally speaking, machinery dislikes being too cold, and as you are aware, the winters in Canada are extremely cold. When a machine is cold, it operates more slowly, inefficiently, and with heavier, more energy-intensive parts. Regular cars can be hard to start in the morning because of this, as we already know. But what about electric vehicles?
Electrics, however, don’t start the same way a typical internal combustion engine does. There is no ignition to ignite; instead, you simply press a button to turn on the battery, just like on a phone. Electric cars can start easily from a cold start, which is one area in which they may really have an advantage.
Reduced Range
The principles of cold still apply because the car is still a machine, which is unfortunate. As the molecules constrict in the cold, the axles of the wheels and the vehicle itself grow heavier. This results in a decrease in efficiency because more power is required to drive the car.
Of course, ordinary gas-powered cars also experience a loss in fuel efficiency of about 20–25%. That figure decreases to about a 40–50% reduction for an electric vehicle, but (at least at this time) the necessity to charge electric vehicles in between usage makes this a much bigger issue for an electric vehicle.
This implies that the range you can travel during the winter is greatly decreased, which, if you live quite a distance from your place of employment, could pose a serious issue if you can’t charge at the workplace.
Right Now?
Although electric vehicles are still relatively new on the road, all of the manufacturers are aware of and attempting to address this considerable decrease in cold weather. Some businesses are already making good progress with technology that will increase batteries’ cold efficiency.
It’s expected that as electric vehicles (EVs) gain popularity, charging stations will follow behind. Range issues are significant at the moment, but in another five years? When the rest of the world catches up, it’s likely to become less and less of a problem.
How to Combat The Cold
Before the rest of the world catches up, there are a few things you can do to extend the range of your car. The range of the automobile can be extended by parking it in the garage overnight and warming up the inside before you depart in the morning. Turning down the heater and relying on winter clothing instead will aid your range since the heater actually uses the most electricity throughout the winter.
Thanks for reading! If you have any more questions about electric cars in Canadian winter, please don’t hesitate to contact us here.