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| Heat wave lowers driving range in some EVs by 31% |
Recent extreme heat across much of the Southern and Western U.S. is highlighting a problem with electric vehicles — their range wilts as the temperature climbs into the stratosphere.
Recurrent, a Seattle EV battery and range analytics company, tested thousands of vehicles in a variety of weather conditions.
Many vehicles experienced significant declines in range as temperatures rose, and some suffered a 31 percent plunge when temperatures reached 100-plus degrees Fahrenheit. At lower temperatures, the tested vehicles’ range loss was not as high, with an average of 5 percent reduction at 90 degrees and 2.8 percent at 80 degrees.
In calculating these average temperatures, Recurrent used a blend of data from the 17,000 vehicles the firm tracks. The data includes 65 models of EVs and plug-in hybrids. They included Tesla Models 3, Y, S and X; the Chevrolet Bolt EV; Hyundai Kona; Nissan Leaf; and Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E.
Recurrent did not release the names of the poorest performing models. Tesla’s cars had the smallest range degradation in heat but also had the widest gap between their real-world range and the EPA’s estimates.
— Karn Dhingra
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