Does Cold Or Hot Weather Affect EVs?

Chilly weather is a battery’s kryptonite but before we get into that, it’s important to understand the basics of what takes place inside these powerhouses. The chemical reactions happening inside a battery pack are like what’s experienced by regular ones you’d find in a remote control.

How Does It Work?

Electric car battery packs consist of between several hundreds to several thousands of these cylindrical Lithium-ion cells. The mode of operation is simple. Like a regular battery, lithium-ion ones consist of an anode (negative) and a cathode (positive) separated by an electrolyte.

When placed in a closed circuit, the battery’s lithium’s outer electron travels across the circuit from the negative to the positive terminal. The lithium-ions, with one less electron, travel from the anode (inside the battery), through the electrolyte and flow towards the battery’s cathode.

How Does Cold Weather Affect EVs?

As temperature begins to drop to extremely low levels, especially during winter, chemical reactions that take place within a battery happen at a slower rate. It also becomes harder for electricity to flow through the circuit due to the increased resistance.

This also affects the charging ability of said battery. The chemical reactions needed to reverse the discharging process are equally affected by a drop in temperature. It takes a toll on charging speed and the range you’ll receive on a single charge.

What About Hot Weather?

Here in Malaysia, the ambient temperature doesn’t drop low enough to cause any noticeable effect on the battery. However, it can get so hot that it can affect overall battery health. This in turn causes a decrease in range and over time, increases the chances of battery degradation taking place.

Besides this, EV batteries have an optimal operating temperature of between 15 to 35 degrees Celsius. As such, the vehicle needs to either heat or cool the battery pack to keep it within this temperature range. This procedure requires electricity from battery power as well, and in turn, decreases the vehicle’s overall range.

That’s why an EV’s thermal cooling system plays a vital role in regulating battery temperature and ensuring the entire pack is operating within the 15 to 35 degrees Celsius window. Electric vehicle batteries have a finite lifespan before they start to degrade. When this happens, it has difficulty retaining its full charge, and over time this will deteriorate further.