Icemakers
  • Home
  • Our services
    • Test Tracks
      • Lake Tracks
      • Land Based Tracks
      • Test Hills
    • Testing Facilities
    • Charging Infrastructure
    • Cold Chambers
    • Accommodation
    • Endurance testing of vehicles
    • Event Facilities
    • Other Services
    • Winter Car Testing
    • Automotive Proving Ground
  • About us
  • Weather
  • Guide
  • Contact us
  • News
  • Enquire now
  • Ice & weather report
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Winter testing of electric vehicles – Can they survive the cold?

2022-01-22/in News/by Varsha Rai

When the temperature drops, so does the performance and ability of many cars, trucks, and most other vehicles to operate safely and smoothly. This goes for both conventionally fuelled vehicles and EVs (electric vehicles). EVs, however, are often considered even more susceptible to low temperatures due to its battery, and often need to undergo rigorous vehicle winter testing to make sure it can perform in cold environments.

In the end, all vehicles’ fuel economy suffers in cold weather. The question is, how does the EV’s energy consumption look as compared to a conventional car with an internal combustion engine during low temperatures?

How does cold weather affect fuel economy?

Cold weather affects vehicles in multiple ways, more than you probably think:

  • Engine and transmission friction increases during low temperatures due to cold engine oil and other drive-line fluids.
  • The cold increases the time it takes for the engine to reach its most fuel-efficient temperature. This is often an issue during shorter trips as the vehicle has less time to reach the ideal temperature.
  • Heated seats and steering wheels, window defrosters, and fans need to use additional power to counteract the low temperatures.
  • Cold air is denser, thus increasing the aerodynamic drag, especially at higher speeds.
  • The tire pressure decreases, increasing rolling resistance.
  • Battery performance decreases in cold weather, making it more difficult for the alternator to keep the battery charged.
  • Cold weather affects the performance of regenerative braking systems on hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs.
  • Icy or snow-covered roads decrease road grip, requiring more energy.

So, how do EVs actually perform in the winter?

As you can see, there’s a great many factors to consider, making it important to perform rigorous winter testing to guarantee the performance and ability of the car. This goes for both EVs and gasoline/diesel powered cars. However, there’s long been a stigma regarding the performance of EVs in the winter. But is it really as bad as what many say?

Well, both yes and no. It’s important to note that EVs don’t lose range because of how the cold weather is affecting the batteries. It’s because of the added power demands that arise from driving the car in low temperatures. However, that is not to say that the physical batteries are not affected by cold temperatures at all.

We’d suggest you check out this video from NAF (The Norwegian Automobile Federation) to see how 20 different popular electric vehicles fared during winter testing at low temperatures at their winter proving grounds.

Winter testing in the north with Icemakers

Leading ice track makers in the world, we are the pioneering company of the Winter Test Region, providing vehicle winter testing facilities with a complete EV infrastructure to perform all types of winter testing. We operate as a full-service winter test supplier to our clients to allow them to rigorously test their EVs to assure the performance, reliability, and safety during cold temperatures.

Read more about our vehicle winter testing facilities.

 

https://www.icemakers.se/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ezgifcom-gif-maker.webp 1080 1920 Varsha Rai https://www.icemakers.se/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/icemakers-logo.jpg Varsha Rai2022-01-22 13:01:212022-06-12 13:32:20Winter testing of electric vehicles – Can they survive the cold?

Archive

  • January 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021

Latest News

  • Icemakers winter test track construction process 2023-01-23
  • Germany expands with ~900,000 electric charging stations 2022-11-23
  • Looking for hotels for winter car testing? 2022-11-01
  • Why durability test needs to be done in the freezing north? 2022-10-14
  • Guide to environmental testing for the automotive industry 2022-10-14
Contact Us

Maskinvägen 11 (GPS:
66.0498752, 17.833078)
SE-938 32 Arjeplog, Sweden

Phone
+46 961 329 00
Fax
+46 961 329 45

info@icemakers.se

Test Tracks

Test tracks

  • Lake Tracks
  • Land Based Tracks
  • Test Hills
Other services

Other Services

  • Charging Infrastructure
  • Endurance Testing
  • Cold Chambers
  • Testing Facilities
  • Event Facilities
Quick links

Quick Links

  • Weather
  • View Brochure
  • About us
  • News
Subscribe for update

    Copyright © 2023 icemakers . All Right Reserved. | Powered by GO MO Group

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    Service spotlight – our electric car InfrastructureThe pressing matter of EV infrastructure and EV charging stations in Sweden...
    Scroll to top

    Ice thickness

    Arjeplog: 78 cm

    Arvidsjaur: 85 cm

    Settings for cookies

     

    We use cookies to give you a good experience on our website.

     

    Read more about which cookies we use, and how to deactivate them under settings. Under settings, you will also find a link to our privacy policy and cookie policy, where we explain how we use your personal data.

     

    Do you accept all cookies?

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Read more about our Privacy policy and Google’s Privacy & Terms

    3rd Party Cookies

    These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites.

    They do not store directly personal information but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance