... [+]Last winter, newbie electric vehicle owners learned the hard truth about frigid weather adversely affecting both onboard battery range and charging times. Cold weather testing conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers indicates EVs can lose as much as around 41% of their battery capacity at 20 degrees Fahrenheit , with about two-thirds of the extra energy consumed being used to heat the cabin. Charging times become significantly longer as well.
Of course conventionally powered cars also consume more fuel than usual while operating in extreme temperatures, but these losses are more profound with EVs, which are at the mercy of what are often inoperative public charging stations.
Also, owners will want to engage an EV’s maximum regenerative braking setting to send the most amount of energy back to the battery that would otherwise be lost while slowing down and coming to a stop. Many models allow so-called “one pedal” driving in which the function is dialed up enough to enable the vehicle to reach a complete stop, at or at least close to it, without using the brakes. One-pedal driving also has the added bonus of minimizing brake system wear.