Our many electric car tests have shown us this frequently: when the cold sets in, the range can sometimes decrease significantly. Tests carried out by the German automobile club ADAC now make it possible to quantify this loss more precisely.
For electric cars, the cold is a major enemy. It undermines their autonomy, which many motorists already consider too weak in normal times. This phenomenon is not only explained by the need to heat the passenger compartment and its occupants. The battery also has an optimal operating temperature, between 20 and 40°C. Below this range, the chemical reaction that allows it to return the electricity it stores becomes less efficient. The manufacturers therefore strive to heat it up, but when the thermometer drops very low, this sometimes requires a large consumption of energy… taken from this same battery. A real vicious circle that we had observed from 4° C during a first autonomy test of the Renault Zoé 2 or with the Tesla Model Y, and which is today the subject of a new investigation by the German automobile club ADAC.
TO READ. Test Tesla Model Y: its autonomy in cold weather
A Volkswagen ID.3 very sensitive to the cold
The famous organization notably carried out its own measurements on three models, at 0 and at 20 degrees Celsius, with a 100 km trip to the Penzing test site carried out under identical conditions. He noted increased consumption of 21% in cold weather for the Renault Zoé and Peugeot e-208, and 30% for the Volkswagen ID.3.
But the German compact, yet equipped with a heat pump that consumes less energy than conventional heating, proved even more disappointing in the Green NCAP tests, on which the ADAC also relies. The latter are based on the standardized WLTP protocol, with a course of only 23 km carried out on a bench. A short distance which further reinforces the impact of the initial heating of the battery and the passenger compartment. In these conditions, while the ID.3 achieves a range of 324 km by performing this cycle at 14 degrees, it must be satisfied with half at -7 ° C. The one that best manages to limit the loss here is the small Fiat 500e, even if it will still have to deal with increased consumption by a third and a 25% drop in its range.
Loss of autonomy according to Green NCAP tests
By + 14 ° C | By -7°C | Loss | |
Fiat 500e | 244km | 182km | 25% |
Renault Zoe | 351km | 244km | 30 % |
Hyundai Kona Electric | 215km | 147km | 32% |
Ford Mustang Mach-E | 300km | 202km | 33% |
Lexus UX300e | 224km | 141km | 37% |
Nissan Leaf e+ | 332km | 210km | 37% |
Volkswagen ID.3 | 324km | 162km | 50% |
How to limit the loss of autonomy?
To limit damage, the ADAC gives some advice. In particular that of using one of the advantages of electric cars compared to thermal models: the possibility of programming them so that they are preheated before hitting the road, taking advantage of their mains charging phase. The electricity required will then come from your domestic installation or from a public terminal rather than from the battery, and the operation will only take about fifteen minutes. With added comfort. Favoring parking in a closed garage is also ideal when you have the possibility.