AAA Study: Electric Car Range Drops Up To 57% In Extreme Weather
We've known for some time that battery range in electric vehicles can fluctuate in response to temperature. However, studies and simulations have produced varying estimates of how much range owners can expect to lose. New tests conducted by AAA aren't the final word on the matter, but they could give consumers a glimpse of what to expect during the hottest and coldest months.
To carry out its tests, AAA used a 2014 Ford Focus Electric Vehicle, a 2012 Mitsubishi iMIEV, and a 2013 Nissan Leaf. According to AAA:
"Vehicles were tested for city driving to mimic stop-and-go traffic, and to better compare with EPA ratings listed on the window sticker..... Each vehicle completed a driving cycle for moderate, hot and cold climates following standard EPA-DOE test procedures. The vehicles were fully charged and then 'driven' on a dynamometer in a climate-controlled room until the battery was fully exhausted."
When tested at the moderate temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, AAA says the three vehicles averaged 105 miles per charge. After the thermostat was cranked up to 95 degrees, however, that range plummeted to just 69 miles.
The batteries performed even worse in cold weather. When the vehicles were tested at 20 degrees Fahrenheit, they averaged just 43 miles -- a 57 percent reduction in range.
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If I was in the position to consider a replacement, it would be another Prius.
Our mpg drops in the winter from >50 to >40, mainly because the majority of
journeys that my wife makes are < 5 miles and, in the Winter, the engine will
be running while we scrape the ice off the windows (*). (Still get good mpg on any
longer journeys, just not on the daily grind stuff.)
I haven't have any particular problem with handling on icy/snowy roads but,
then again, in those conditions I always wish for my old Subaru Forester back!
It handles as well (or better) in the Winter as any other non-4x4 that I've driven.
Don't know (first hand) how the newest models of Prius differ from the old ones
but my experience with the older one is very satisfactory.
HTH
(*) ETA: Yes, if I cleared out the garage so that the *car* could actually fit in it
then that might help ... but Mrs Nihil hates parking even the smallest car in a garage
and Mr. Nihil hates throwing things away!
