Electric car in winter

Slippery roads, cold and snow present an extra challenge when you want to drive from A to B. This is not only true for petrol cars, but also for electric cars. This is true not only for petrol cars, but also for electric cars. Driving an electric car in winter also presents additional challenges due to the reduced range. Nevertheless, you can easily and safely cover longer distances with an electric car in winter. We would like to give you some tips.

• How can I get around safely in my electric car in winter? 5 tips
• Advantages of an electric car in winter
• Disadvantages of an electric car in winter
• How can I economise on the range? 3 tips

How can I drive my electric car safely in winter?

Tip 1: Put winter tyres on your car

At temperatures below 7 degrees, it is wise to drive with winter tyres. They provide more grip, making you much safer on the road. It also helps you lose less energy and drive longer with an electric car in winter.

Tip 2: Beware of slippery roads

When you let go of the accelerator, an electric car regenerates energy. This means that you lose more speed than in a diesel or petrol car. As a result, your car may skid more quickly in slippery conditions. To avoid this, it is best to let go of the accelerator gradually in winter.

Tip 3: Is your charging cable frozen?

A charging cable can freeze. It is therefore better to park your electric car inside during the winter. Is that not possible? Then keep the plug connection dry. Is your cable still frozen? Put a hot water bottle on the connector to defrost it. Make sure that the hot water bottle does not leak.

Tip 4: Carry an extra charge cable

The range of an electric car decreases in winter. Keep this in mind when you are on the road and charge your car every day. Always take a charging cable with you in the car, so you can charge on the road if necessary.

Tip 5: At home? Plug it in

Even when you are not using your electric car, the battery is always draining slowly. So plug in your car when you get home. Nowadays, smart features prevent the battery from overcharging.

Advantages of an electric car in winter

Unlike a diesel or petrol car, an electric car will break down less often in the winter. Less can be broken because of the cold, because an electric car has fewer moving parts. In addition, an electric car is less sensitive to night frost. Whereas the battery in a conventional car can sometimes break down because of the cold, an electric car does not have this problem. If you leave the car on the charger overnight, the battery will stay warm.

Disadvantages of the electric car in winter

In the Benelux, temperatures begin to drop from October and it can already get quite cold. Winter weather can even last into March. As you may already know, cars do not like the cold at all. Not even electric cars. All cars experience greater drag in winter. Air becomes heavier during low temperatures, so a car needs more energy to move through the air.
For an electric car in the winter, this means that the range will decrease. The lower the temperature, the less capacity your electric car will have. Some car models can cope with this better than others, but in general every electric car suffers from this. There are, however, a few measures you can take to increase the range. Below, we would like to give you some tips.

How can I economise on the range?

Tip 1: Use as few electronics as possible

When driving, it is a good idea to use as few electronics as possible to reduce the load on your battery. So listen to your favourite song on the radio and use the heating as little as possible.

Tip 2: A nice and warm car

Have your car pre-heated before you leave. Through your charging station, you can not only charge your battery but also run the heater without draining your battery power. When you want to leave, the battery will be full and you will have a wonderfully warm interior.
This will make it less necessary to turn on the heater while driving. This is nice, because heating requires a lot of power from your battery. The range can therefore decrease when you have the heating on a lot.

Tip 3: Use seat heating

Seat heating is an ideal way to get comfortably warm in your electric car during the winter. The advantage of heating just your seat is that it costs less energy than heating the whole car. That way, your battery uses less power.
Use zappi to charge easily and safely at home