From Fortune Magazine:

Severe weather conditions in the Midwestern United States have severely affected electric vehicle drivers, with plummeting temperatures causing reduced driving range and long hours of waiting at charging stations. Studies have found that range loss varies from 10% to 36% and some Tesla owners even reported that their cars wouldn’t charge at all due to extreme cold weather.

Experts explain that this happens because the lithium ions inside EV batteries flow more slowly through the liquid electrolyte during cold temperatures, reducing the release of energy and range capacity. As a result, EV batteries are required to be warmer for electrons to move, which is essential for charging. Fortunately, proper planning and understanding of how to warm EV batteries can help alleviate this issue.

According to experts, automakers are likely to find better ways to protect battery life and warm them for charging in the future, developing models using existing lithium-ion chemistry that are tailored to colder climates. Additionally, new battery technologies are being developed that perform better in the cold and will significantly improve cold-weather performance for electric vehicles.



Read more: Why don’t Teslas charge in cold? It’s about electrons in batteries