e-Golf - Hugely reduced cold weather range
Discussion
During the summer months when it was warmer, but hardly hot, the fully charged range was about 140 miles if carefully driven. Now the temperature has dropped we're down to about 80 miles. Occasionally it flicks to c.65, then back to 80 something...
I'm well aware that a lower temperature affects battery efficiency and we now have heaters trying to bring the temp up to 20 compared to AC taking it down just a few degrees in the summer, but this seems like an excessive impact on range.
Anyone else had similar or have we got a dud of some sort???
I'm well aware that a lower temperature affects battery efficiency and we now have heaters trying to bring the temp up to 20 compared to AC taking it down just a few degrees in the summer, but this seems like an excessive impact on range.
Anyone else had similar or have we got a dud of some sort???
Every EV has chronic consumption when cold, and double isn't unusual.
- Batteries don't like the cold regardless of anything else
- More cabin heating required, batteries may also have heaters although whether you get more out of them than they lose through heating is a moot point
- Cold and damp weather increases drag reducing efficiency
Efficiency tends to improve on a single long journey, but it can take an hour for a EV to fully get up to temperature by which point most journeys have finished.
You can preheat the cabin while still plugged in which reduces some of the pain, garage or keep the car under cover helps keep the temperature up a few degrees, but overall I suspect what you are seeing is probably typical.
- Batteries don't like the cold regardless of anything else
- More cabin heating required, batteries may also have heaters although whether you get more out of them than they lose through heating is a moot point
- Cold and damp weather increases drag reducing efficiency
Efficiency tends to improve on a single long journey, but it can take an hour for a EV to fully get up to temperature by which point most journeys have finished.
You can preheat the cabin while still plugged in which reduces some of the pain, garage or keep the car under cover helps keep the temperature up a few degrees, but overall I suspect what you are seeing is probably typical.
The range meter is just a guess based on previous usage. I do loads of short trips so at this time of year the guess will be very low because it's all heating up (no heatpump in my car), driving a couple of miles, cool down and repeat.
If I do 50+ miles in one go it gets more optimistic again.
If I do 50+ miles in one go it gets more optimistic again.
In general I think this issue will become one of the balancing factors in the take up of EVs during colder months.
In ICE vehicles you don't suddenly expect your vehicle's range to diminish overnight by 10%, let along anything up to 50%, because of the weather. We'd be rightly up in arms if that were the case.
Yet, this is to be expected now as the norm.
I hope the technology is able to overcome this in the not too distant future.
In ICE vehicles you don't suddenly expect your vehicle's range to diminish overnight by 10%, let along anything up to 50%, because of the weather. We'd be rightly up in arms if that were the case.
Yet, this is to be expected now as the norm.
I hope the technology is able to overcome this in the not too distant future.
That sounds a pain in the arse.
https://ev-database.uk/car/1087/Volkswagen-e-Golf
There are figures on there for 'mild' and 'cold' weather.
https://ev-database.uk/car/1087/Volkswagen-e-Golf
There are figures on there for 'mild' and 'cold' weather.
Sounds like an excessive range hit.
Our e-golf sees at most a 30% range hit in the depths of winter here in Chicago where it’s much much colder than anywhere in the UK. -10C for extended periods, with occasional bouts of -20C. The mrs uses it daily for commuting/school run in a dense urban snowy environment. The car is garage kept and we do the cabin Pre-heating (and Pre-cooling in summer) whilst it’s still plugged in which helps a lot with the minimizing the range hit from heating. And of course is a major comfort boost, above all else!
Our e-golf sees at most a 30% range hit in the depths of winter here in Chicago where it’s much much colder than anywhere in the UK. -10C for extended periods, with occasional bouts of -20C. The mrs uses it daily for commuting/school run in a dense urban snowy environment. The car is garage kept and we do the cabin Pre-heating (and Pre-cooling in summer) whilst it’s still plugged in which helps a lot with the minimizing the range hit from heating. And of course is a major comfort boost, above all else!
Evanivitch said:
CallThatMusic said:
Do electric cars have heaters ?
Electric cars will either have resistive heaters or heat pumps.But unlike ICE cars which throw out waste energy which can then be reused for cabin heating, EVs need to use energy that would otherwise be used for range.
jjwilde said:
The Teslas preheat the battery to offset this, does the Golf not have such a feature? If it does not/can not then that would explain it.
It's a feature I expect many new EVs to have, it's similar to ICE cars which have the engine warmer in places like Canada.
E-golf doesn't have active battery temp management. It's all passive, so is more prone to being affected by ambient temperatures. It's a feature I expect many new EVs to have, it's similar to ICE cars which have the engine warmer in places like Canada.
They've always had an optional heat pump available for cabin heat though, with the resistive one retained as a backup for extremes.
dvs_dave said:
The car is garage kept and we do the cabin Pre-heating (and Pre-cooling in summer) whilst it’s still plugged in which helps a lot with the minimizing the range hit from heating.
Leave the car out doors unplugged overnight and you'll soon see the range penalty the OP is describing. I believe e-Golf doesn't have a battery heater? Which means if you let the battery get down to near 0 degrees its going to be hugely inefficient compared to normal.
A battery heater is vital in cold weather, my old Leaf would go from 80-100 miles down to 40-50 miles in winter. Our Tesla however takes an initial 'hit' in consumption as it heats up the battery - the good thing is you can take this 'hit' when connected to the grip and once up to temperature the efficiency is no more than 10% worse versus summer - ofcourse in winter there is more wind/rain which you cannot control.
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