Electric cars at risk of breaking down as cold weather impairs batteries

ITV News' Science Correspondent Martin Stew reports on the new statistics surrounding the performance of electric vehicles in cold weather

Performance analysis of electric vehicles in freezing temperatures given exclusively to ITV News found heating-up the car meant they were using 39% more battery power in the first hour compared to normal conditions.

Steve’s electric van has been restricted by the freezing temperatures - his fully charged battery range usually 82 miles has dropped to 45.

Having been stranded recently he’s having to borrow dirty diesel alternatives, and he is not alone.

“Batteries don’t like extremes of temperature which is why your phone is rubbish if you leave it in the sun," he told ITV News.

In cold weather cars have something extra to contend with - as you turn the thermostat up, the battery power drops off.

On average, that means in winter you can drive 18% less miles on a full battery than you can in summer.

Chris Millward, RAC technical development manager, said the RAC are fitting special charging units to their breakdown vans.

Around 6% of call outs to electric vehicles are because they’ve run out of power, a far higher percentage than petrol of diesel cars, he said.

“The difference is if an EV runs out of power everything stops and wheels lock up so it’s much harder to remove from the road," Mr Millward added.

Electric vehicles are far greener with zero exhaust emissions. And with the sale of new combustion engines banned from 2035, for many they are the future.

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