Winterizing electric vehicle is a topic worth discussing at length as the benefits of EVs extend far beyond the much talked about reduced environmental footprints.  Apart from being the best environmental friendly vehicles, EVs are also easy to run and maintain unlike gasoline vehicles which come with high maintenance costs. These vehicles do not wear out easily making them easy to run due to reduced maintenance costs.

EVs come with specifications which require well thought out great care from the owner. For instance electric car battery in winter requires great care as it reacts to environmental conditions like harsh weather negatively.  Thus, if you own them you must know what how to handle them and what to avoid doing with them to ensure you retain them in the best condition for optimal performance.

Cold weather in particular is an element that negatively EV performance sometimes reducing it significantly. Therefore, every owner must know how to handle their vehicles during the winter and summer conditions to ensure that they limit the effect of adverse weather conditions on its critical components like the battery and the transmission. If you are a first time EV owner and do not know how to winterize the vehicle here are some valuable tips on the same process.

Understanding the Impact of Cold Weather on EVs

Without understanding the impacts of cold on an Electric vehicle you might not understand the importance of electric vehicle winterization. Most EVs uses lithium ion batteries which power the functioning of the vehicle. Cold weather poses a big threat on electric vehicle lithium ion battery affecting its performance.  

When these batteries are exposed to so much cold then chances are they may experience reduced efficiency.  With reduced efficiency you are likely to experience the following problems:

• Decreased EV Driving Range

The biggest effect of cold weather on any EV is reduced driving range.  Cold weather reduces the efficiency of an EV battery which in turn reduces its driving range by about 10 to 30%. Under these circumstances, the EV battery has to work much harder to achieve the desired driving speeds.

Constant exposure to these conditions forces the EV battery to overstretch which not only limits its performance but also reduces its life as well. As you drive through such conditions for long periods you risk reducing the life of your EV battery to half its lifespan which might force you to acquire another EV battery after just a short period of time.

• Slower Electric Vehicle Charging

Cold weather not only affects your EV battery but also affects the EV charging rate which results in longer charging hours. EVs are designed in such a way that their internal resistance increases in cold conditions.  This resistance hinders the electricity flow to the battery which extends the charging duration.  

Prolonged charging durations are also detrimental to the EV battery as it results in a heat generation capable of degrading the batteries life. Apart from heat generation, prolonged EV charging can also result in unnecessary inconveniences.

Winterizing Your Electric Vehicle

Before embarking on any journey during the winter period start by winterizing your vehicle.  This is the only way you can stay far away from some of the problems that come with winter periods on EVs. There are reliable strategies you can use for this course like the following which you need to consider especially if you are a first time EV owner.

• Ensure to Precondition Your Vehicle

Preconditioning is the surest way of combating the negative effects associated with cold on an electric vehicle. You can do this by warming up the vehicle’s battery while your vehicle is still plugged on its charger. When you do this you allow your EV warm up its battery for its optimal operating temperature which improves its efficiency allowing it produce full power.

Additionally, preheating an electric car utilizes electricity from the grid which saves battery power for the drive. This allows you to drive longer distances on your battery capacity without having to recharge in between.

How to Precondition Your Electric Vehicle

Every electric vehicle can be preconditioned for optimal performance during the winter or cold seasons. EVs come packed with preconditioning features which can be activated from multiple places like a smartphone or the vehicle’s infotainment system. Before embarking on any trip, precondition your vehicle for the best cabin experience and optimal battery performance.

Preconditioning Alternatives

While preconditioning features are common in modern EVs, they may fail to work in some vehicles.  In such a case you can do with preconditioning alternatives which can still serve this objective well.  For instance, you can start your EV and allow it to run for a few minutes before embarking on your journey.  

Doing this sets your vehicle’s battery in a good condition which allows it to operate at optimal conditions achieving the desired cold weather electric vehicle range. In case you are worried about battery power which might reduce your driving range you can precondition your vehicle while it is still on the charge. This will allow you to use the grid power and not the battery stored power which will allow you a much longer driving distance.

• Optimize Your Driving Habits

Owning an EV requires you to change your driving habits to cope with the cold weather conditions. For instance you can make adjustments to your electric vehicle adjustments to allow your vehicle’s battery to perform optimally and maximize the driving range; here are some valuable tips on how to do so.

• Maintain a Higher Charge State

Maintaining a higher charge state of your battery is one of the proven ways you can use to get this critical component of your EV working optimally. During the winter period, ensure to charge your battery and retain it at 20 to 80% charge to ensure that it does not drain faster than normal or strain during the wet seasons.

• Charge Your Electric Vehicle More Frequently

Frequent EV battery charging is another way you can adopt to keep your EV battery working efficiently for improved efficiency. Frequent EV battery charge top ups will help you to avoid having the battery drain faster putting you in situations awkward situations sometimes.

• Maximize Your EV Driving Efficiency

You might not know it but efficient driving is also another way you can use to keep your EV battery in good health. There are good driving practices that you can adopt during your electric vehicle winterization process, here are some of them:

• Always Accelerate Your Vehicle Gently and Smoothly

Aggressive acceleration and braking might be a driving habit many people love but when it comes to driving an EV in wet conditions this practice can be detrimental.  Aggressively accelerating your vehicle places a strain on your EV battery which in turn reduces its driving range.

• Make Use of Regenerative Braking

One of the best things about EVs is the issue of regenerative braking. The biggest advantage of regenerative braking is that it captures energy during the deceleration process then puts it back into the EVs battery toping up your EV battery power. This added power allows you a few more miles on top of your EVs maximum driving range.

• Put your Vehicle in Eco Mode

Many electric vehicles come with the Eco mode feature known for optimizing energy consumption by limiting power output which reduces cabin heating and cooling. If you wish to maximize your EV range then this is one of the features you need to utilize.

• Plan Your Trips Accordingly

While the tips provided above can help reduce the effects of extreme cold temperatures on an EV, there are circumstances under which such extreme temperatures can still have a bearing on the EVs battery.  One of these conditions is the sub-zero temperatures found in the Polar Regions.

If you are driving in such conditions then ensure you do everything to minimize or limit the effects of the cold temperatures on your EVs battery.  One of the ways you can use to do this is by planning your journey or trips accordingly picking routes that are in relatively warm regions or waiting until the sun rises before travelling.

Doing so enables you to combat the devastating effects of adverse weather conditions on your EV battery allowing it to keep working at optimal conditions for efficiency.  If possible, limit the number of trips you make during the wet seasons as that can result in weather induced damage on your EV battery.

Tire Maintenance for Winter Safety

When carrying an electric vehicle winterization do not just focus on the battery alone but also other areas of importance too.  For instance, winter conditions call for specific set of tires that are well optimized for these conditions.

Winter conditions demand specific tire considerations which deliver optimal performance and safety when driving in winter conditions. To properly tune your EVs tires for winter conditions consider the following tips:

• Get Winter Tires

There are a set of specific special tires specifically designed for driving in winter conditions.  These include the winter tires which have the ability to withstand colder temperatures allowing them to work optimally even in the coldest conditions. These tires come with softer rubber which enhances its grip while driving on snow or wet conditions.

• Tire Pressure

As you might know already, cold weather forces tire pressure to drop by shrinking the air inside of the tire.  When this happens, the vehicle tires lose pressure and when you consider the weight of the vehicle then that might result in unwanted tire conditions.

To avoid such a situation with your tires, ensure to check your tires regularly to ensure that their pressure is within the right limits. If you notice a drop in the tire pressure then top it up before embarking on any journey.

• Tread Your Tires Accordingly

Well-treaded tires are very ideal for driving in cold and winter conditions.  As conditions becomes wet and even snow drops roads and driveways become slippery calling for well-treaded tires to navigate such conditions.

Therefore, before embarking on any journey during the winter period ensure that your EV tires are well treaded. If they are not, you can increase the tread or if not that get new tires which are well treaded for driving in these conditions.

• Ensure Your EV Headlamps are Working Perfectly

Headlamps are very important when driving during the winter periods. Winter comes with rather poor visibility occasioned by mists and fogs reducing visibility significantly. This reduced visibility can result in serious threats of accidents especially when driving through meandered woods roads.

To ensure that you do not end up in such a dangerous situation, ensure that your vehicle’s lights are working optimally. Check your lights for optimal performance and if you must, consider installing fog lights as you carry out electric vehicle winterization.

Get an Emergency Kit

There is great uncertainty that come with driving during the winter season. Accidents are normally common during such time which is why you need to be very careful. Such accidents can happen to you without warning resulting in some serious injuries to you.  To prepare for such an unfortunate possibility, ensure you have an emergency kit with you whenever you are travelling in winter times.

• Choose Your Path Accordingly

So much can go wrong when driving in winter conditions. For instance, winter conditions like snow, mud and debris can affect roads making them impassable in some places.  As a driver you need to check out such roads and drive paths and avoid them where necessary. You can also listen to authority advisories on weather conditions and possible paths that are likely to be affected by harsh winter conditions.

Roads that drive through water can be somehow unstable for driving during such conditions. Such roads mean that you might have to drive your vehicle through deep waters or snow then get stuck at some point. A vehicle stuck in such conditions can result on some damages on the vehicle’s battery and other components.  

Conclusion

Winterization electric vehicle is something everyone who owns an EV should consider.  Carrying out these important procedures enables your vehicle battery and other key components to perform optimally for the best driving experience.