With Electric Vehicles (EVs) becoming increasingly more popular for their environmental benefits, it is worth keeping in mind that hot weather can have an effect on your EV’s battery.
Graham Conway, Managing Director of Select Car Leasing has given insight into why EVs have these issues and how you can help to prevent the hot weather from impacting your vehicle.
“In a country with extreme heat such as the UAE (United Arab Emirates) where average temperatures are around 30-40 degrees C, the battery life of an EV is highly likely to be affected.
The lithium-ion batteries found in EVs are similar to the types of batteries found in a computer or a smartphone, meaning they’re compromised if they overheat.
It’s why electric vehicles need to have sophisticated thermal management systems in place to remove heat from the battery generated during operation.
But even with a heat management system in place, the performance and lifespan of an EV’s battery can still be compromised by either extremely hot, or extremely cold, environmental conditions.
According to one study, heat causes your battery to decline much faster than in moderate temperatures as high temperatures can decrease the charge of the lithium-ion batteries found in EVs, which will have a big impact on range between charges and the overall lifespan of the battery."
“Using an EV’s air conditioning in hot weather will also make the battery decline faster as it reduces range by 17%, meaning that EV drivers planning a 100-mile trip could only travel 83 miles in hot weather.
Thankfully, there are ways in which to prevent these issues.
Firstly, to help your EV cope with the heat, it is recommended to park it in the shade where possible. If this isn’t possible, you can buy passive cooling systems such as a sunshade for the windscreen to keep the temperature of the car down.
Furthermore, parking in the shade is especially important if you are charging your EV, as the accelerated electrical currents combined with exposed heat can impact on your battery’s overall lifespan.
A bonus feature that comes with most modern electric cars is preconditioning. This setting allows you to pre-cool the cabin of your car before a long journey.
It’s important to remember that preconditioning works best when your car is plugged in overnight. Instead of drawing energy from your EV’s battery, it will be taken from the mains, so your battery life won’t be impacted.
Another key tip is to not charge your EV battery past 80% in order to maintain your battery’s health and maximise the available range. There’s some evidence that repeatedly charging the battery to 100% can cause your battery to degrade over time."
"Elsewhere, drivers should avoid driving between noon and 3pm, when the sun is at its highest and the temperature at its hottest - especially in the UAE.
Again, this is to protect the battery from long-term degradation over time.
Away from EVs, you should also take precautions if you’re driving a petrol or diesel vehicle.
Car batteries in non-electric vehicles have chemicals inside the battery. The battery is composed of acid and water and the latter will evaporate faster in soaring temperatures which means a breakdown - or an inability to actually start your car in the first place - is more likely.
Besides the battery, you should also make sure you keep your coolant - and oil levels topped up - so that your radiator and oil pump can do their thing to stop your engine overheating.”
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