E-car in winter: save battery properly
Heat and cold are among the biggest enemies of electric car batteries. You can avoid possible damage in winter by paying attention to the correct charging. You can find out here what you should consider.
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E-car batteries in the cold: effects
It should come as no surprise to anyone that ambient temperature has an impact on battery performance. As with heat, so the battery also suffers in the cold. So you have to expect that your electric car will lose range. We have summarized in an article how you can avoid standing on the side of the road with an empty battery at minus 10 degrees: Keyword recuperation.
But it is more expensive for you if you accidentally load it incorrectly permanent damage to the battery caused. This can happen quickly, for example, during fast charging. Even when the temperatures are warm, you should occasionally use slower charging, and this is all the more true when the temperature is below zero. Because just a few degrees below room temperature, i.e. below 20 degrees, the electrochemical processes in the battery cells slow down and the electrical internal resistance increases.
If a fast charging station still wants to pump a lot of current into the battery at the same time, ion collisions can occur. The result is Loss of capacity and a permanent reduction in range (Source: Auto, motor and sport).
Driving an e-car in winter: How to protect the battery
The battery can be easily preserved with a few simple tricks in order to maintain the battery’s performance until spring. You don’t necessarily have to avoid fast charging stations.
Charge with low currents
However, it is important that you bring the battery up to operating temperature. You can ensure this, for example, by plugging the electric car into the wall box at home (e.g. from The Mobility House) immediately after driving. The lower amperage protects the still slightly warm battery.
Charge right after driving
Note, however, that this only works if you are on the go for a long time with high power demand. So you should stay longer on the freeway or on the country road drive, the short way to the supermarket is not enough for that.
Use heat pump and intelligent heat management
If you have installed a heat pump, you can plan the charging times and let the battery warm up before then. Maybe your car also has intelligent heat management with which it Distribute heat between drive, battery and interior or can relocate.
If you at least in the first few minutes of charging switches off the air conditioning and heating in the Stromer, the car can heat the battery instead. Some models can already use the newly supplied electricity, which, however, increases the charging times.
Programming your home wallbox
Many wall boxes can also be pre-programmed so that you can keep your car connected to the charger at all times. The on-board computer then ensures before departure that both Battery and cockpit temperature with the power from the grid warmed up will. So not only you, but also the battery is warm when you start driving and you don’t have to drain the full battery for this.
Like you you can also conserve the lithium-ion battery and how long it will last you with the best care, you can read here:
