Canada’s Cold Weather Can Reduce EV Battery Performance by Nearly 40%: CAA Study

Canada’s cold climate can impact the reliability of electric vehicles (EVs) when driving in winter conditions, a new study has found.

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) put vehicles representing more than two-thirds of the country’s EV sales through their winter paces this week. The 13 vehicles were driven from Ottawa to Mont Tremblant, Que., and CAA said none of them were able to meet their optimal range when driving in temperatures ranging from -7 Celsius to -15 Celsius.

The CAA test found that eight of the 13 vehicles drove between 30 and 39 percent under the estimated driving range published by Natural Resources Canada. Three drove between 20 and 24 percent under their optimal range, and two drove 14 percent below.

“CAA is responding to a top concern of Canadians when it comes to EVs,” CAA national vice-president of public affairs Ian Jack said in a press release.

“The vast difference in results highlight the importance of truth in advertising when it comes to EV range, and of comparing numbers if winter performance matters to you.”

For many Canadians, range does matter, according to a CAA survey. More than two thirds of Canadians recently polled by CAA said the drop in range during winter is a “top barrier” for them in purchasing an EV. Of the Canadian EV owners polled, more than 65 percent said they have experienced lower battery range in extreme cold weather.

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The test featured seven of the 10 top EV sellers in Canada and came from sport, luxury, SUV, sedan, and truck categories. Each vehicle was driven until the battery was completely drained to determine winter driving ranges, CAA said. The results were then compared against the estimated driving ranges provided by Natural Resources Canada.

CAA is hoping a made-in-Canada standardized labelling system will be implemented for electric vehicles to advertise winter driving performance rather than just an optimal driving range, Jack said.

All but two of the vehicles tested were driven while being fully charged. Only the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Ford F-150 Lightning were not. The Silverado test started at a 73 percent state of charge and the Lightning started at an 89 percent state of charge.

“On average, EVs managed to add around 100 kilometers of range, which amounted to 28 percent of battery charge,” said the release. “CAA found significant variations in how much charge an EV could gain in 15 minutes, highlighting the importance of considering charging rates for those who frequently drive long distances.”