Electric vehicles (EVs) have revolutionized transportation, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional gasoline-powered cars. Despite advancements in the EV industry, automakers have yet to fully resolve challenges caused by cold weather. As temperatures drop, EVs experience reduced range, increased energy demand for cabin heating, and slower charging speeds. In some extreme cases, cold weather can reduce an EV’s range by up to 50%, frustrating owners who rely on their vehicles during winter. Automakers are struggling to fix this issue, but recent innovations are showing promise.
Studies show that cold weather significantly reduces EV range. Consumer Reports found that popular all-wheel-drive EVs lose up to 25% of their range when driven at 70 mph in cold conditions. Shorter trips are even more affected, as the cabin must be reheated after every stop, further draining the battery. Unlike traditional gasoline cars, which use engine heat to warm the interior, EVs must rely on battery power for both propulsion and climate control.
With the push to electrify public transportation—including school buses—automakers must urgently find a solution to ensure EVs can fully replace gasoline-powered vehicles on a large scale.
Possible Solutions
EV manufacturers and researchers are developing technologies to minimize range loss in cold weather. While some solutions are promising, making them widely available and cost-effective remains a challenge. Here are some of the key developments:
Heat Pumps
One of the most immediate solutions automakers are adopting is heat pump technology. Unlike traditional resistance heaters, which draw energy directly from the battery, heat pumps extract heat from the surrounding air—even in freezing temperatures—and use it to warm the cabin.
Brands like Hyundai, Audi, Volkswagen, and Tesla have already integrated heat pumps into their EV models. For drivers living in regions with harsh winters, choosing an EV with a heat pump can significantly improve cold-weather efficiency. However, heat pumps cannot be retrofitted onto older EVs, limiting their availability.
Propane-Assisted Heat Pumps
A German technology company, ZF, has developed a propane-driven heat pump that could take EV cold-weather performance to the next level. This system, called TherMas, has the potential to increase EV range by up to one-third in freezing temperatures.
The TherMas concept integrates three separate heating and cooling components, with a hermetically sealed mini-refrigerator at its core—eliminating the need for maintenance. It uses fluorine-free propane refrigerant, which is both highly efficient and environmentally friendly.
Since temperature control is one of the biggest energy drains in cold weather, TherMas could dramatically improve EV range and performance. ZF plans to make this technology available by 2026, offering hope to automakers and EV enthusiasts.
Battery Innovations
While heat pumps improve efficiency, they do not solve the fundamental issue of lithium-ion batteries losing performance in cold weather. To fully address this problem, automakers must develop batteries that perform reliably in freezing conditions.
Some emerging solutions include:
Flow Batteries
Flow batteries store energy in liquid electrolytes. While initially considered a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries, they freeze in extreme cold, making them impractical for EVs. Researchers are now exploring acid-based electrolytes with lower freezing points, which could be more suitable for harsh winter conditions.
Solid-State Batteries
Among the most promising developments in EV battery technology, solid-state batteries use solid materials instead of liquid electrolytes to transfer energy. This makes them far less susceptible to cold-weather degradation.
Will Automakers Finally Solve the Cold Weather Issue?
So far, automakers like Volkswagen have launched solid-state battery prototypes that promise to increase range by 80% while also improving charging speeds.
Meanwhile, Toyota plans to debut its solid-state battery by 2027, boasting a 745-mile range and a 10-minute charging time.
If these technologies live up to expectations, they could eliminate cold-weather range issues once and for all, marking a significant breakthrough for EV automakers.
Until then, EV owners in colder climates should take precautions, such as:
Preheating the car while plugged in to reduce energy drain on the battery.
Using seat warmers instead of full cabin heating to conserve power.
Planning trips carefully to account for longer charging times in winter conditions.