Your Car in the Cold (EVs > ICE)

When temperatures plunge below freezing there are many people asking good questions about the performance of EVs (electric vehicles) compared to fossil-fuel powered cars (internal combustion engines, or ICE). While there are some specific challenges faced by EVs in cold weather — and we’ll end this article by sharing how you can prepare for them with simple actions — the truth is that EVs are better than ICE vehicles in the cold. 

Here are the top five reasons why:

1. Better and more stable performance 

ICE engines struggle with cold starts and thickened engine oil. EVs maintain consistent power, with instant torque delivering a smoother and more reliable response when you’re navigating icy roads. 

2. “Preconditioning” advantages 

You can set most EVs to warm up and prepare the battery while it’s still plugged in. You’ll get into a comfortable car that will start well, without drawing down the battery range for your trip. 

3. Lower maintenance costs 

EVs have far fewer parts than ICE vehicles and they don’t need engine oil, which thickens and can even freeze in the cold. This difference saves EV owners from much of the cost of cold-weather maintenance that ICE vehicles owners need to pay for. 

4. Safer rides 

EV batteries give them a lower center of gravity than comparable ICE vehicles, which means they are less likely to flip in icy winter conditions. Driving through blizzards with cars off the roads is one of the most worrying experiences of winter driving, and EVs’ low centre of gravity and stable performance will help keep you on the road. 

5. Fights the climate change causing extreme low temperatures and worse winter storms

This one is a bit counterintuitive — but climate change actually drives more extreme low temperatures and worse winter storms. Here’s how: 

Average higher temperatures are disrupting the polar vortex that normally keeps arctic air contained. Now, “arctic outflows” are more common as that super cold air spills south past its old boundaries. 

At the same time, when the world is warmer on average, more water evaporates from the oceans and then eventually cools into clouds and comes down as snow. 

In a world where we don’t retire fossil fuels and use EVs, transit, and other options to get where we need to go, we’ll be dealing with more super-intense winter storms that can cause immense damage to our communities. 

There are two things to keep in mind when using EVs in the cold

EV batteries can take longer to charge in extreme cold and their range can be reduced because they need to use the battery to heat the cabin, while ICE vehicles use excess heat from the engine.

Neither issue is a problem for the vast majority of us, the vast majority of the time. EV range is much greater than our average commutes, and we can charge overnight when grid demand is low. 

However, if you’re planning a longer trip in very cold temperatures then you should build in more of a buffer – both shorter distances between charging stations and a bit more time there. Pre-heating the car while it’s plugged in and, pre-conditioning it, will also make a big difference.

And, as the charging infrastructure and technology keeps improving, this will be less of an issue — so thank you to everyone who has already retired their ICE vehicle for an EV and voted for climate action for the work you’ve done to make this change easier for even more folks.