Winter traffic jams are no problem for e-cars – under these conditions

When it gets really cold outside, many an e-car driver’s knees tremble – sometimes from fear. Because the power consumption of electric cars increases noticeably in winter, the fear of range rears its ugly head again. But that shouldn’t cause many problems, at least that’s what the ADAC thinks.

E-cars: ADAC relieves drivers of worries about traffic jams in winter

E-car drivers have to come with them in winter severe loss of range calculate their Stromer. The problem is well known, because the electric drive produces hardly any waste heat that can be used for heating. Instead, the energy for this comes directly from the battery and is no longer available for further kilometers. Unfortunately, the ID.3 from VW shows just how big the differences in summer and winter range can be.

But e-car drivers don’t need to worry too much. The ADAC comes to this conclusion in one Study of 7 electric cars. Because in the worst case, the Stromer also perform well, the heating consumption is noticeable, but still low: “Even if you have to endure a whole night in an electric car in a traffic jam, you would don’t freeze to death‘ summarized the experts automobile club.

The reason: “The heating output is so low at 1.5 to 2 kWh that nobody has to worry about having to freeze in traffic jams in the electric car – provided that the The battery is not already largely discharged when the traffic jam begins. In an extremely rare extreme case, where drivers have to stay in the e-car for 10 hours on a cold night (minus 10 degrees), the total consumption is 15 to 20 kWh – a quantity that modern e-cars can easily store in the battery .

The ADAC examined models ranging from small cars to the upper middle class. A VW e-UP, Renault Zoe, Fiat 500e, VW ID.3, Hyundai Kona Elektro, Tesla Model Y and a BMW iX. The latter brings the interior to 20 degrees in 12.5 minutes (at an outside temperature of minus 10 degrees). Model Y, e-UP and Zoe, on the other hand, did not reach the desired target temperature in the entire interior even after more than 40 minutes.

In addition to the range, the price is the best argument for e-cars:

Tips for the electric car: ADAC really heats you up

The ADAC draws several lessons from the comparison: E-car manufacturers should pay even more attention to good insulation in their models. In this way, heat losses can be minimized and the heating output would be reduced. For drivers who want more energy for the road, the experts recommend using an eco mode. This protects the battery and reduces the heat output. If you want to be warm, you should rely more on seat and steering wheel heatinginstead of heating up the entire interior.