Motoring experts at LeaseElectricCar.co.uk have given drivers five tips on how they should look after their electric cars over the winter months to help optimise battery life, improve range and save time. With the battery getting colder quicker, it means drivers cannot use their EVs for as long as they could in the summer months as charging would be required more often. The experts also urged drivers to keep the heating “on low” to avoid “battery damage”.
Tim Alcock from LeaseElectricCar.co.uk said: “Those of us who have an electric car know the difficulties of trying to get the most out of our vehicles when the weather is really cold and the batteries subsequently have a lower range.
“This makes it difficult to plan long journeys as it can mean having to stop several times along the way to charge up the battery.
“But there are several things you can do to help extend the battery range over winter as well as making sure it stays as warm as possible.
“Parking your EV in a garage or under a car cover helps retain some of the heat in and keep in mind that the battery will take longer to reach the optimum temperature.
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“Preheating your car and charging it overnight will help ensure the battery is kept warm ready for when you are about to set off.
“Making long journeys can be difficult for electric car owners but hopefully by doing your best to keep the batteries warm and energy consumption lower, then travelling in the colder months in your EV should make the journey a lot easier.”
Keep heating “on low”
The experts said: “Although it can be tempting to have the internal temperature of a car on high, especially when making a long journey over winter, this can actually damage the battery.”
Having the car heating on over winter will degrade the battery and its range, potentially meaning a charge is needed on the way. Drivers should try having the heating on at a reduced temperature, or just use heated seats and steering wheel rather than the whole car.
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Keep battery warm
In the winter an EV’s battery will naturally get much colder and drop below the optimum temperature to run at. Keeping the batteries as warm as possible will help preserve their life and will mean less time spent warming up the car.
If possible, it’s a good idea for electric car owners to keep their vehicle in a garage or under a car cover to keep as much heat as possible, especially overnight when temperatures are often at their lowest.
Charging will take longer
Keep in mind that EV batteries will take longer to charge on a cold wintery day compared to the summer months. EV’s will take longer to charge in the winter when the temperature drops below the optimum temperature for batteries at 15 degrees.
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Change driving style
Driving as smoothly as possible in an EV over wintertime will help to optimise the battery life.
It’s a good idea to avoid any heavy braking and accelerating which will then help to optimise the energy consumption of the EV.
Driving cautiously will also help motorists to drive safely over winter with the likelihood of ice and snow on the roads.
An alternative is to turn on the eco-driving setting which automatically reduces the heat as well as the accelerator pedal impact.
