Electric Cars
Charging in Winter: The Truth About Cold-Weather Charging
In winter, charging is slower, range is shorter, and sessions sometimes fail to start.
What causes it
Cold lithium batteries charge slower, the car must spend energy warming the battery, and some chargers are less reliable in cold.
What to expect
- Fast charging can be 2-3x slower on a cold battery.
- The car uses energy to heat the battery before and during charging - that's why you may see the range rise slower than energy added.
- Range drops 20-40% - the same battery, just colder chemistry and more cabin heating.
What to do
- Precondition before fast charging - set the charger in navigation so the battery warms en route.
- Charge at the end of a drive - a warm battery charges much faster than a cold one.
- Home charging overnight is fine in any temperature - it's slow enough not to matter.
- Don't panic about a 'lost' range - it returns when it warms up.
The truth
The battery isn't degrading in winter - it's temporarily sluggish. Capacity is restored when the battery reaches normal operating temperature.