Warming your electric car ahead of a journey can increase range dramatically
We all know winter weather can definitely put a cold damper on longer journeys in electric vehicles. But, according to Green Car Reports, there are a number of precautions owners can take in order to keep the range anxiety to a minimum. And, with snow on the ground, safety is a grand concern as well.
Firstly, conversations regarding low-rolling resistance tires are inevitable, with most owners chucking them during the winter months in favour of snow tires (you should do this with any car anyway). The low-rolling resistance tires fitted to the LEAF, even though they are classified as all-seasons, really don’t grip on ice…at all.
However, range during the winter months was also on the minds of owners, the best piece of advice being to warm the passenger cabin before setting off for your commute. This allows the car to heat the cabin using electricity directly from the grid instead of energy stored in the battery used for propulsion. By doing this, some owners have been able to increase their range some 20 km per charge.
[Source: Green Car Reports]
