Electric vehicle batteries are a lot like people, in one important respect: They’re most comfortable in temperatures around 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the weather gets much colder or hotter than that, a battery works less efficiently. It has to work harder, too, to keep the vehicle’s cabin comfortable for its equally picky human occupants.
The result? Electric vehicles can’t drive as far or as efficiently in extremely hot or cold weather.
AAA has been testing exactly how big an effect temperatures have on modern EV batteries. In its latest research, shared exclusively with NPR, it found that hot temperatures reduced range by an average of 8.5%. Cold weather cut vehicles’ range by a whopping 39%.
“Internal combustion engine vehicles also lose range in extreme cold weather,” points out Ed Kim, the chief analyst with the research group AutoPacific, who was not involved in AAA’s research. The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated a 10% to 30% drop in gas vehicle fuel economy in cold weather, depending on the type of trip. “This isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to EVs. This happens to basically any kind of vehicle when it gets really cold.”
I mean, diesels need to be plugged in with a heater running all night during winter in large portions of America and I think all of Canada.
When we start talking about this stuff, location really matters.
“Cold weather” is vague as fuck
And in REALLY cold weather they literally idle them continuously, because if they get that cold they will not start at all.
And if you get stuck out in the woods, you have to literally light a fire under your engine to warm it up enough.
But I think they’re just talking about regular cold weather, like Minnesota. Trying to use an EV in the really cold places is just a bad idea.
Counter-point, Norway is almost exclusively EV at this point. EVs are fine in cold weather if you have a sensibly built society. At least they aren’t worse than gas or Diesel.
I wouldn’t trust anything from AAA. 39% loss in cold is straight up false unless you’re talking like -20F. These tests have been done many many times by more respectable orgs and they usually get around 20%
39% loss in cold is straight up false unless you’re talking like -20F.
My guess is that this number may be possibly accurate for cars without a thermal management system for the battery. In the USA, this would be exactly one car model and even of those there are years where it would be fine: the Nissan Leaf.
The Leaf came out in 2010 and has been air cooled until just this year in 2026. Some models had a battery heater though, but not all. I could see for a model without a heater and extreme cold the 39% range suppression. However, since its only one car, putting that 39% number is disingenuous because it suggest its more widespread when it isn’t.