Snow Reminds EV Owners that Batteries Hate Cold Weather

­With blizzards blanketing the country, thousands of motorists are getting a crash course on why EVs and cold weather don’t mix.

Reports are coming in from Chicago-area recharging stations of “car graveyards” – an Oak Brook Tesla supercharging station has seen desperate consumers spending hours, even days, trying to elicit a smidgen of power for their dead EVs.

One guy, who’d been at it more than a day lamented "Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent…and this is like three hours being out here after being out here three hours yesterday."

More than a few people outright abandoned their cars.

And it won’t be changing anytime soon.

Like people, EV batteries function best in warm weather. According to USA Today, the idea EV battery temperature is between 68 and 86 degrees, and “as the temperature drops, the electrochemical processes the battery uses to charge slows down. To charge, the car first has to warm the battery, which requires time and energy.”

In this case, EVs’ efficiency works against them – because their batteries produce comparatively little waste heat, they can become a liability in cold weather. According to one estimate by Consumer Reports, EVs lose about 25% of range in highway cruising in sub-freezing temperatures.

Internal combustion engines produce a ton of waste heat – which dovetails their efficiency but also makes them far easier to operate in cold weather (and syphoning off a bit of heat for passengers is a cinch).

Just an important reminder for EV owners to plan ahead – more so than usual – on frigid days.