The cold hard truth about electric vehicles in winter

Interesting analysis of EVs and how they compare to their claimed range in both hot and cold temperatures. 6 out of 14 models features meet or exceed their claims in warmer temperatures but all fall short in the cold.

I don't think this is ground-breaking news, ICE cars have always been generous with their claimed range, but range anxiety just isn't a thing with them thanks to the existing and comprehensive architecture.

What's most interesting to me is that the worst three (and by some distance), are three American manufacturers and a 9 year German model.

• In Norway — where half of all new cars are plug-ins — tests show that EVs lose about 20% of their driving range and take longer to charge in cold temperatures, according to the Norwegian Automobile Federation.
• ...
• Start the vehicle while it's plugged in to allow the battery to warm up. “The key is warming that battery up," Dickson said. "That pre-conditioning helps so much because it gets it to a temperature level that works efficiently.

I didn't know about the option to start the car when it was plugged in, it had occurred to me recently that that might not be desirable given you don't want to leave with the cord attached, but that's probably an easier conversation for the car to have with itself to make sure that's not an issue.