Home Charging in Cold Weather

Yes, range is definitely lower in cold weather, in the past week of warmer weather it is clearly noticeable after some recent frosty morning and cold day driving. I keep a detailed log of travel distances and charging so I can more easily see any trends or other changes.

If parked, any loads you put on the battery such as cabin heating, or even AC cooling, will warm the battery up a little bit, but I suspect the best alternative is to keep the vehicle somewhere warm, which isn't an option for me if I need to charge in cold weather.

Charging immediately after driving in cold weather, before the battery has a chance to cool down, is a way you can take advantage of the existing battery warmth and eliminate energy losses due to internal battery heating.

Also, the faster you charge, the more the battery heats up, I often hear the battery cooling system start to operate after some time at a fast charger, especially when the battery is already warm from driving. That also uses a bit of energy, but I suspect not as much as the battery heating system.

Thanks, Gordon! Good point about charging right after driving—I've found that helps too. With winter behind us and summer around the corner, at least we won’t have to worry about frosty mornings for a while. Maybe now it’s time to start tracking how the heat affects the range!

>at least we won’t have to worry about frosty mornings for a while.

Except for the one this morning, and the one forecast for tomorrow ;)

At least it warmed up quickly under cloudless skies :)

I'm finding range has improved significantly in recent weeks compared to just a month ago. Since we generally travel to the same places on weekends where my wife operates a market stall, repeating each month, it's easy to compare. Of course other factors such as wind are also important, and harder to take into account unless the conditions are recorded for each drive.