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Optimise Prime says cold weather reduces EV range by 40%
23 February 2021
Recently, we discussed how to maximise EV range in snowy conditions. The question which remains is, how much of an impact does a dropping temperature have on electric vehicles (EVs)?
A trial conducted by Optimise Prime has found that EV range can reduce up to 40% in cold conditions.
Optimise Prime is an Ofgem-funded programme which is studying the UK’s electricity infrastructure, to determine how businesses and private owners will cope with transition to EVs, as we approach the 2030 deadline for electrification.
It is the largest commercial EV project in the world.
Royal Mail, Centrica and Uber are fleet partners of the project, in addition to Hitachi, UK Power Networks and Scottish and Southern Electricity networks.
Centrica fleet engineer James Rooney said, “In 2014, we took on some Nissan eNV200s and they were a really good van in the summer, not so good in the winter.
“Bearing in mind this is old tech, we could get 70 miles out of them in the summer but in winter that could be down to 40 miles with a mix of what the cold does to the battery in terms of potency as well as the driver using the heaters.
“It’s less of a problem now with battery preconditioning and liquid-cooled batteries, but we certainly see a seasonal disparity.”
Similarly, Royal Mail’s manager of environment and fleet innovation Anna Pearson said, “We introduced our first 100 EVs throughout 2018/19 so we’ve had them for a couple of winters now,” says Anna Pearson, fleet innovation and environment manager at Royal Mail.
“The colder and darker conditions mean we have to use the heaters and lights more, and we have seen a drop in range.
“We’ve probably seen a drop of about 25% to 30%, definitely. That obviously depends on how the vehicle is being driven as well.”
The team at Marshall Leasing are following news surrounding electrification very closely, and trust that you find this information useful. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you make the switch to electric, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by emailing info@marshall-leasing.co.uk or calling 01480 414541.
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