Canadians are concerned about EV range in cold weather. CAA did a real-world test with a dozen vehicles. Here’s what they learned

Despite widespread adoption of electric vehicles in northern climates — for example, in Norway where nearly all new cars sold in 2024 were electric and sub-zero temperatures are the norm — concerns about range and charging during the cold season stubbornly persists among Canadians.

While Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) does publish estimated EV ranges, they are based on year-round numbers.

In a survey conducted by CAA, cold weather “anxiety” is frequently cited as a contributor to EV adopter hesitation in Canada. (Drivers also cited charge times and access to public charging stations as underpinning their hesitancy to get behind the wheel of an EV in winter.)

To address the lack of information on how EVs perform in cold conditions, CAA clubs from across the country decided to put electric cars to the cold-weather test last February.

Testing EVs in the cold

“If we are to rely on EVs going forward and understand what lifestyle changes we need to make to drive them,” says Julie Beun, managing director of communications and public relations at CAA North & East Ontario, in CAA Magazine.

“We also need to understand what the range actually is in the winter and how fast they’re going to charge.”  

CAA members drove a dozen different EV models until the battery ran completely out of power under temperatures that varied between -7 and -15 degrees Celsius.  

Across the board, the test cars managed 14 to 39 per cent fewer kilometres than their official, all-weather range.  

As for how frigid conditions impact charging speed, each vehicle plugged into a DC fast-charger for a 15-minute session. On average, the EVs tested gained 28 per cent of battery charge.

On CAA’s website there are also useful strategies and techniques for protecting your batteries and maximizing cold-weather range.

These include listing a selection of EV-specific snow tires and advice like keeping your car charging when not in use, preconditioning the cabin before heading out, avoiding rapid acceleration to conserve range, using regenerative braking to recapture energy and using heated seats and steering wheel functions instead of the cabin heater.