Electric car battery in winter

Electric cars require significantly more energy in winter than in the warm season. The heater and the battery consume a lot of electricity in the interior. Consumption is up to 70 percent higher on short journeys than on longer journeys. With longer routes, the loss of range is less. A breakdown with an electric car on the highway can turn into a horror trip if the battery fails and it takes some time until the towing service comes.
Before you set off, it's not just important to check the tire pressure and lights, but also to charge the battery.

Insulation of electric car batteries

Batteries are generally susceptible to cold, but electric car manufacturers have taken this into account. As TÜV Nord reports, the batteries have insulation. It prevents the battery from overcooling in winter if the car is left outside for a long time. The TÜV experts also inform you that the charging stations are well prepared for the winter. They reduce the amount of electricity and thus react to the stress on the batteries due to cold.

This protects the battery during the charging process.

The cold affects the charging process. If the battery is cold because the car is outside in below freezing temperatures, charging will take longer. The battery is protected and the charging process is shortened if the electric car is parked in a garage. The charging process can be shortened with a wallbox installed in the garage.

Preheat battery during fast charging

If the battery is cold, the charging power is reduced to protect the battery. The cold battery negatively affects the fast charging process because fast charging takes longer. Some electric car manufacturers couple the battery heater with the navigation system.
If a quick charging station is entered as an intermediate destination, the battery can be pre-tempered. Users can also manually condition the battery for fast charging. The battery should be at operating temperature during fast charging.

Electric car in a traffic jam in winter

Many electric car owners fear traffic jams in winter because they believe that the battery will discharge quickly. TÜV Nord and ADAC give the all-clear. Even in winter, an electric car uses comparatively little energy when stationary and can last for several hours in traffic jams.

The ADAC has found that the range of an electric car is reduced by an average of 15 to 25 percent. This is due to the increased energy requirement for heating the interior. To prevent this, electric car owners can preheat their vehicle by connecting it to the wallbox. The car then uses less electricity for heating while driving.

Save electricity with an electric car in winter

It makes sense to preheat the car with energy from the power grid. The heating energy then does not come from the drive battery. In many vehicles, preheating can be programmed via the vehicle settings or an app. Just 15 minutes are enough to heat up the vehicle. To save energy in winter, electric car drivers can follow other tips.

The battery can be prevented from cooling down if the car is parked in the garage.

Windows and doors should not be left open longer than necessary. The heating should be switched to recirculated air as the interior heats up more quickly in recirculated air mode.

The interior heating should be set slightly lower if possible. Heating wires in the windshield, steering wheel heating and seat heating work more efficiently than air heating. The “Eco” driving mode saves energy and also prevents the wheels from spinning. Short trips with long downtimes in between should be avoided. The battery and interior cool down too quickly and have to be heated up again.

Drivers of electric cars should expect their vehicle to brake differently when it is cold. The recuperation is usually weaker.

Pay attention to safety

Electric car owners should never save energy at the expense of their safety. It should go without saying that the windows are always free of ice and fog. The lights should also always be on. Sufficient range reserves must be planned for regular routes in winter. Strong braking energy recovery should always be avoided on slippery roads. This is achieved with a low level of recuperation. The foot is carefully lifted by the accelerator pedal.