Electric vehicles are getting their fame with every passing day and technologies are also getting better and better. There are a bunch of EVs available in the market these days and many to come in near future from world’s top auto makers. Every time when a buyer thinks of buying an EV, the main factor he considers is the power and mileage range of batteries used in the EV. Companies publicise only standard details regarding battery packages, prior to performance in diverse weather conditions because temperature affects the range of an EV considerably more than it would a conventional petrol engine powered vehicle.
Recently researchers drive a research in order to analyse performance of batteries. There were three EVs were used to find range of batteries at different temperatures and researchers were shockingly amazed with the results. All these three EVs fall down from 105 miles at 75 degrees to 43 miles at 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a massive decrease in performance. Outside temperature changes affect the performance of EV by as much as 57 percent. It is explained by the researchers at AAA’s Automotive Research Centre in Southern California.
These three electric vehicles used were Nissan LEAF 2012, Ford Focus 2014, and Mitsubishi i-MiEV 2012, exclusively tested against cold, moderate and hot weather conditions. Every EV was operated as fully charged on a dynamometer in a controlled environment conditions until the battery was fully run down. In the results, the cold weather impacted the performance and decreased it by almost 57 percent. Research also found that a hot temperature has less consequence on battery range, but still decreased it to an average of 69 miles on a fully charged battery.
John Nielsen, managing director, said in a statement. “Electric motors provide smooth operation, strong acceleration, require less maintenance than internal combustion engines, and for many motorists offer a cost effective option, However, EV drivers need to carefully monitor driving range in hot and cold weather.”
It means, if you have any plans to buy an EV in future, you should consider your weather conditions as well, such as your 120miles ranged EV will not work efficiently in the Antarctic region.
Source: AAA Vehicle club
