How to make your EV a car for all seasons

Summer turns to Fall, then comes Winter and finally Spring. Part of living is adapting to the changing weather conditions as they come along. As the seasons roll by, we change our wardrobes, condition our homes with heating or cooling, and generally prepare for whatever Mother Nature throws at us.

Just as we have to adapt, so our vehicles do as well. This has meant checking engine coolants, changing tires, and making sure we have a good strong battery. In recent years, electric vehicles have become very popular, so we wanted to provide some tips as to how to get the best service from your EV no matter the season.

Summer

In the warmer months of Summer, your EV will use energy to cool down the battery even when you’re not using the car. If you leave your EV unplugged overnight, you can lose a few points of charge by morning, so leave it plugged in. That way, it’s ready to go. Don’t worry about overcharging, as your EV’s battery management system will prevent overcharging. During the summer, it’s best to keep your car at a 90% charge, so set that up with your app to get through the warmer months.

Preconditioning

Many EV’s offer a feature that allows you to pre-cool the cabin remotely. This feature uses power, so you need to have the vehicle plugged in while you’re using it, but it will allow you to have a comfortable cabin when you get in the car, and your battery pack will be at the optimum temperature.

Fast Chargers

Fast chargers are a wonderful convenience when you don’t have time to plug in for hours, but you shouldn’t use them too often. Fast charging will heat up your battery, and your car will respond by using power to cool it down. This is especially important during the hot summer months, since your car is already trying to cope with the hot weather. Relying on fast chargers too much will shorten the life of your battery and will reduce range and performance.

Winter

Battery

No vehicle, whether electric or otherwise, runs at peak performance when temperatures fall below freezing. However, because lithium batteries can be negatively affected by cold weather, it’s important to note that there will be a decrease in driving range during cold weather.

EV batteries work best when the temperature of the battery is between 68° and 86° F. In colder climates, charging can take much longer because of the low temperatures. It’s best if you can exert some control over the temperatures your EV is exposed to.

If possible, keep your car in a climate controlled garage. Some EV’s offer a pre warming feature. This will allow you to warm up your car’s cabin and battery before you get in. Like the remote start feature you’ll use in the summer, this will allow you and your car to be more comfortable as soon as you get in.

Since EV’s don’t have a gas fuelled engine, there’s no additional waste heat to help warm the car’s cabin. A good way to get around this is to get the cabin warmed up, then when it’s time to start driving, lower the cabin heater and instead use the heated seats and steering wheel to compensate. This will allow the engine to use less electricity to heat the cabin and you’ll still be comfortable.

Tires

In the winter, tires can take a beating, and this is especially true for EV tires. EV’s are heavier than similar sized combustion engine vehicles, and the tires will be under more strain in the winter. It’s very important to regularly check the condition of the tires. In colder temperatures, your tire pressure may drop. This can cause poor performance, reduced range, less sure traction, and undue wear on your tires, so you need to keep them inflated to the pressure recommended by the car’s manufacturer. If you’re going to use seasonal tires, make sure to get them changed before the roads get icy.

Final Words

Extreme weather can be hard on your electric vehicle, so it’s important to try to mitigate the effects of the hot summers and freezing winters. By following these recommendations, you can help your car to give you the best service in any season.

For over 50 Years V&H Automotive has been serving Marshfield and Central Wisconsin with New Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and RAM Trucks. From Wausau to Wisconsin Rapids, or Stevens Point to Medford – we’re a short drive from anywhere for friendly service and very competitive pricing. If you have any automotive needs, check out our website or contact us at 715-387-2545. Better yet, stop in for a visit!

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