Can EVs keep up with rough terrain and cold weather?

David Merrett/Flickr

We all know electric vehicles (EVs) are fantastic for driving in beautiful weather on nicely paved roads. On a pleasantly warm day, cruising down the highway in an EV is going to be comparable, and in many ways better, than doing so in an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.

But, the weather isn’t always nice and sometimes you just want to get off the pavement and go play in the dirt.

So, how do EVs handle this?

How cold weather affects EVs

Contrary to popular misinformation, EVs work perfectly fine in cold climates.

It’s true that they lose some range, but they’ll still start and run.

How much range is lost depends on a lot of variables (and also which study you’re looking at). The outside temperature, how the vehicle is driven, and how much the heater is being used all affect the battery’s range.

Recurrent Auto’s “Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Loss in 7,000 Cars” report says some EV batteries can lose up to 35% of their range in freezing temperatures.

The research firm collected data from thousands of EVs in real-world, cold-weather driving conditions between -1C and -7C (30F and 20F) and compared the loss of range to their estimated ranges from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

It should be noted that there is anecdotal evidence that EVs can lose as much as 50% of their range in extremely cold temperatures, like -40C (-40F), which the Recurrent study mentions.

However, most in-town daily driving won’t be overly affected by loss of range, as there will still be enough power to do inner-city commuting and short-range driving.

People doing long-range driving in cold weather will have to plan accordingly and make sure they have places to plug in and charge along the route they are taking, if necessary.

Another study, by Consumer Reports, looked at how the Ford Mustang Mach-E extended range, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y Long Range, and Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S performed when driven on a hot day, a mildly warm day, and on a frigid day.

“We found that cold weather saps about 25% of range when cruising at 70 mph compared with the same conditions in mild weather,” the researchers said in a blog post. “In the past, we found that short trips in the cold with frequent stops and the need to reheat the cabin saps 50% of the range.”

Why does cold weather affect EV range?

In an ICE vehicle, the engine creates a lot of heat through loss of energy. You can easily direct some of that lost heat energy into the cabin to warm it up without taxing the engine more than usual.

In an EV, since the highly efficient motors create little wasted heat energy, the battery has to run the vehicle and use energy for heating purposes. It’s this dual role that saps an EV battery’s energy quicker in cold weather.

How can you prevent loss of battery range in cold weather?

You can’t completely prevent a loss of battery range when the temperature dips down, but there are steps you can take to mitigate it.

Recurrent Auto provides the following steps you can take to help save on range loss in frigid temperatures:

• Use your EV’s connected services app on your phone to warm your vehicle’s battery and interior before you get in.
• Take advantage of your EV’s “winter weather” package, if it has one. This will bring the battery to room temperature before it starts charging.
• Plan for longer charge times, as it will take the battery longer to warm up enough to receive a full charge.
• Charge your EV right after you are finished a trip, as the battery will be warm at this point.
• Opt for using seat and steering wheel warmers rather than climate controls to heat the entire cabin.
• Turn down your regenerative braking system for winter driving. Your vehicle may do this automatically when the battery is cold.
• Turn off hardware features that aren’t completely necessary, like automatic folding side mirrors.
• Keep your Tesla plugged in at all times. Because of their active thermal management systems, the report specifies leaving Teslas plugged in and lowering your charge threshold to around 70%, allowing the vehicle to pull energy from the electrical socket to keep warm rather than using its battery.

How rough terrain affects EVs

While there has been ample testing done to gauge what the cold does to an EV, there haven’t really been any studies done yet to determine how they hold up when off-roading.

People have been taking EVs out into the backcountry, though, so there is anecdotal evidence to go off of.

The first thing to note is that off-roading is going to require more torque and use more power than cruising on pavement. (Not to mention plugging in all your electronic gadgets and equipment.) This would decrease the vehicle’s range when 4x4ing, although it’s not clear yet by how much. The type of terrain you are tackling would obviously contribute a lot to how much more power you would be using.

Speaking of range, this is by far the number one concern when talking about going overlanding — as some call it — in an EV. Unlike an ICE vehicle, where you can just carry extra fuel with you, with an EV, you cannot.

Jeep is currently installing EV charging infrastructure at trailheads, and Rivian is doing the same with their Rivian Adventure Network, but these are rolling out slowly and are currently in a few select places.

While we await testing on how off-roading affects EV range, Nitto Tire’s Driving Line magazine has provided these pros of EV off-roading and cons of EV off-roading:

Pros of EV off-roading

• It’s much quieter and allows you to enjoy the scenery better.
• You’re not actively polluting the air as you drive.
• You have a lot more hauling room because of the front trunk (frunk) where an engine would be in an ICE vehicle.
• You can give torque to individual wheels at any speed.
• Because an EV transmission has no gears, and the regenerative braking provides an instant drop in power, this eliminates the need for off-road aids such as lockers, crawl control, and lower gears.
• If you know you have more than enough power for the actual trip itself, you can use your vehicle to power things like portable refrigerators and other electronic equipment.
• There are no parts underneath that hang down lower than other parts, so there is less of a chance anything will get snagged.
• Despite being run by electricity, the Rivian R1T can wade through streams up to three feet deep (about one meter).
• EVs that are meant for off-roading often have an off-road mode that will raise the suspension and automatically make other adjustments to the vehicle.
• Since EVs don’t produce sparks, there is virtually no chance of them accidentally starting a wildfire

Cons of EV off-roading

• Range anxiety is a concern for off-roading, as you cannot take extra fuel with you and regenerative braking will only give you a little bit of extra range.
• Currently, there are no midsize EV trucks or SUVs, which perform best for off-roading. (However, there are new companies that are targeting the off-road market with smaller vehicles.)
• You likely won’t be able to repair them yourself if something goes wrong.
• You can’t really modify and customize them to your liking right now, as the after-market parts market hasn’t been established.
• Currently, virtually every off-road capable EV is going to be quite expensive and you may be reluctant to take an expensive new vehicle out where it is likely going to get scratched and dinged up.
• There has been little to no testing done on EVs yet to determine how well they perform off-road, so it can be a gamble to take them off-roading. One potential concern may be fine sand getting into the motors and affecting them.
• Cold weather off-roading would be risky in an EV with their range drops in colder temperatures.
• If your battery does get damaged and leaks out in the wilderness, it will be hazardous to the immediate area.

I want to end on a positive note, so Iwill also mention that there are plenty of two-wheeled EVs being built for off-roading. If you enjoy hitting the trails on two wheels, Zero Motorcycles says its DSR/X can provide as much as 13 hours of continuous trail riding.

While driving in cold weather and off-road will require some extra planning, EVs are definitely capable of both. So, there is nothing to worry about if, like me, you live in a place where the temperature dips down or, also like me, you like to get off the beaten path once in a while.