5 tips to get the most out of your EV this winter

For many drivers, this may be their first winter in an electric vehicle (EV), and with that comes a new wave of technology to consider. So, we’ve pulled together five handy tips on getting the most from your EV this winter

1. Range

The biggest thing to keep in mind is cold weather affects your EV’s battery capacity, with some sources claiming that sub-zero temperatures can impact range by between 10-30%. If you’re planning a long journey, it’s vital to make sure you have charging stations planned on your route – either plan it on your ZapMap app or let your car find your next charging station. If you’re on a winter holiday, it will also enable you to identify whether your hotel has a charging point on site and if not where the most convenient one is locally.

2. Pre-Conditioning

An amazing feature on EVs that you don’t get on most petrol or diesel vehicles is pre-conditioning, which is done through your vehicle’s app. In short, this means you can turn on the heating and ventilation in your car remotely from your app. Preset it to engage 10 minutes before your journey and your car will be warm, frost-free and ready to drive immediately. That means it’s ready to go as soon as you hop in the car and will help preserve power in the battery from excessive use of the heating and ventilation systems.

3. Regenerative braking

Regenerative braking is commonly found on hybrid and electric vehicles and uses the motion of the car to charge the battery when slowing the vehicle down. While regenerative braking is fantastic for restoring charge back into your EV’s battery, you may want to modify the severity of the regen function in winter which you can do manually on most cars. As with any other vehicle, you will want to accelerate and brake gently in snowy or icy conditions, so aggressive regenerative braking may not be the right option in the winter. In some EVs, you can save your settings to a custom winter driving mode, so it learns to drive in that mode when temperatures are very low.

4. Snow and ice on your car

Modern EVs are jam packed with tech advancements and driver conveniences, but visibility and drivability are compromised if they’re covered in a layer of snow, ice or road dirt. While modern headlights are powerful, they aren’t powerful enough to shine through snow or mud, so always clean them before setting off. The same applies with your windscreen and side windows, as well as your 360-degree cameras. Locate your cameras on the grille, door mirrors, and the boot to check they’re all grime free before heading off on your journey.

5. Don’t leave your EV with a small charge in freezing weather

Your battery can lose some charge in cold conditions, with temperatures reaching their lowest overnight so think ahead for your journey the next morning. We’d advise you to make sure you have at least 20% charge left if you can’t charge your EV at home. This will get the car moving in extremely cold weather and get you to a charger to give the batteries a top up, rather than risk being left stranded.