EVs Are Not The Only Ones Affected By Extreme Heat Or Cold

Are electric cars the only ones affected by extreme temperature fluctuations? If they get too hot, the battery can suffer irreversible damage. If they get too cold, their performance suffers. Many even compare this to the human body: a chill, like a passing cold, is better for an electric car than a heatwave that could cause cardiac damage. Electric vehicles are obviously not the only ones affected by extremes. A standard internal combustion engine vehicle will consume more fuel in very cold weather and can overheat in traffic jams during a heatwave, especially older vehicles. And what about hybrids? A recent American study shows that, here too, hot or cold temperatures have consequences.

It is in cold weather that the greatest differences are measured by AAA, the equivalent of the German ADAC or the Swiss TCS. The American Automobile Association tested hybrid and electric vehicles at -7°C.

• Hybrid vehicles consume 22.8% more fuel.
• Electric vehicles show a 35.6% decrease in their equivalent mileage per gallon (MPGe) and a 39.0% decrease in their calculated range.
• Hybrid vehicles experience an increase in fuel cost of $28.44 per 1,000 miles (1,600 km).
• Electric vehicles experience an increase in operating costs of $32.11 per 1,000 miles (1,600 km) with home charging and $76.93 per 1,000 miles (1,600 km) with public charging.

The conclusion is clear: cold weather is more detrimental to electric vehicles than to hybrids. This can be explained by the fact that hybrids also rely on a combustion engine, which is less sensitive to this type of temperature than a single battery. It’s also worth noting that not all battery chemistries react the same way to cold. LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry, which is becoming increasingly popular due to its cost and stability, loses more efficiency than NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) in cold conditions. Renault Twingo, MG4/MG4 Urban, Citroën e-C3, Tesla Model 3… all these models use LFP batteries.

The air conditioning system for the passenger compartment and the engine/battery temperature management system consume energy and degrade the performance of both vehicle types. Paradoxically, hybrids appear to be the most affected by the heat (35°C in the test), but the difference measured compared to electric vehicles is too small to be significant.

• Hybrid vehicles experience a 12% decrease in their fuel consumption (miles per gallon, MPG).
• Electric vehicles show a 10.4% reduction in efficiency (MPGe, miles per gallon equivalent) and an 8.5% loss of range compared to a moderate temperature (24°C).
• The operating costs of hybrid vehicles increased by $13.02 per 1,000 miles (1,600 km).
• For electric vehicles using a home charging station, operating costs increased by $6.78 per 1,000 miles (1,600 km), while charging costs at public stations climbed by $16.25 per 1,000 miles (1,600 km).

Note, by the way, the skyrocketing costs of using public charging stations, whether in cold or hot weather! In any case, hybrids remain popular in the United States. When asked, “Why do you prefer to buy a hybrid rather than an electric car?”, respondents most often answered “better suited to long distances” and “wouldn’t worry about draining the battery” or being dependent on the charging network. Old stereotypes about electric cars for long-distance travel persist, even though in Europe, this type of travel is no longer a problem, except in certain regions.

• Also See: Which Vehicle Will Reach 400,000 km? Toyota Leads, Tesla A Surprise