The energy of lithium-ion batteries, the most commonly used batteries in electric cars, is similar to how bodies function. If humans get too cold for a prolonged time and have nothing to warm themselves up, they may perform slower as they have to work harder to expend energy.
A battery’s energy drains faster in cold temperatures without a catalyst to keep it warm because the chemical reaction that allows them to function moves slower and weakens its power, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). As the world produces more electric cars, many worry it will be challenging to drive in the winter.
Some drivers have noticed that they have to charge their electric cars more frequently in the cold, while others find that it does not affect the battery life of their vehicles.
According to Nick Kalayjian, an engineer and Chief Product Development Officer at Rivian, electric car companies do their best to create the best experience for drivers, which means finding solutions so that batteries do not lose an excessive amount of charge in cold weather.
“Batteries actually heat themselves up as you’re using them, and we have a coolant system that’s pumping warm water through them in the cold weather and getting them up to the temperature that they like to operate at,” Kalayjian said.
My most common response when people say, ‘you can’t drive electric cars in cold places,’ is to say, ‘well, Norway is pretty cold.’
— Nick Kalayjian
Engineers also weigh the differences between types of batteries and work with them to get the best possible function in a car.
“The lithium iron phosphate batteries do have lower performance in cold weather. The nickel-based chemistries generally perform better, but even within that, you can adjust the chemistry to have more energy or better cold weather sustainability,” Kalayjian said.
Engineers’ efforts pay off, and some drivers get the desired experience.
Kate Carlos, a senior at Carlmont, drives a hybrid vehicle with a lithium-ion battery.
“I don’t notice my battery being drained more in the cold weather,” Carlos said.
Of course, there are instances when the cold does affect batteries in undesirable ways.
Batteries are kept warm when they are not in use by being charged, according to Kalayjian. However, electric car companies must find solutions to combat a cold battery if a person is in a situation where they cannot or do not charge their car.
Some electric car drivers note that the cold has no significant changes to the battery behavior other than the battery draining faster, especially when not charging.
“I do not charge my car every day when it’s not in use, even in the cold weather,” said Tim Yang, a Tesla driver. “I do notice the battery doesn’t seem to be an as robust, mile for mile, but other than having to charge more frequently due to this more rapid drainage, no other behavior is altered.”
In the past, technology was less advanced, including the chemistry in batteries. Old generations of electric cars had more trouble in the cold. However, Kalayjian said that batteries will continue to be built upon and improved as they work to limit the issues with freezing batteries.
“My most common response when people say, ‘you can’t drive electric cars in cold places,’ is to say, ‘well, Norway is pretty cold,'” Kalayjian said.
