Canada’s cold climate can impact the reliability of electric vehicles (EVs) when driving in winter conditions, a new study has found.
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) put vehicles representing more than two-thirds of the country’s EV sales through their winter paces this week. The 13 vehicles were driven from Ottawa to Mont Tremblant, Que., and CAA said none of them were able to meet their optimal range when driving in temperatures ranging from -7 Celsius to -15 Celsius.
The CAA test found that eight of the 13 vehicles drove between 30 and 39 percent under the estimated driving range published by Natural Resources Canada. Three drove between 20 and 24 percent under their optimal range, and two drove 14 percent below.
“CAA is responding to a top concern of Canadians when it comes to EVs,” CAA national vice-president of public affairs Ian Jack said in a press release.
“The vast difference in results highlight the importance of truth in advertising when it comes to EV range, and of comparing numbers if winter performance matters to you.”
For many Canadians, range does matter, according to a CAA survey. More than two thirds of Canadians recently polled by CAA said the drop in range during winter is a “top barrier” for them in purchasing an EV. Of the Canadian EV owners polled, more than 65 percent said they have experienced lower battery range in extreme cold weather.
The test featured seven of the 10 top EV sellers in Canada and came from sport, luxury, SUV, sedan, and truck categories. Each vehicle was driven until the battery was completely drained to determine winter driving ranges, CAA said. The results were then compared against the estimated driving ranges provided by Natural Resources Canada.
CAA is hoping a made-in-Canada standardized labelling system will be implemented for electric vehicles to advertise winter driving performance rather than just an optimal driving range, Jack said.
All but two of the vehicles tested were driven while being fully charged. Only the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Ford F-150 Lightning were not. The Silverado test started at a 73 percent state of charge and the Lightning started at an 89 percent state of charge.
CAA released its list detailing the EVs with the greatest winter range, including the discrepancies between these figures and the official range set by Natural Resources Canada. They include:
- Chevrolet Silverado EV — 456 kilometres of 724 kilometres of range at 73 percent battery (-14%);
- Polestar 2 — 384 kilometres of 444 kilometre range (-14%);
- Kia EV9 — 349 kilometres of 435 kilometre range (-20%);
- Volkswagen ID.4 — 338 kilometres of 423 kilometre range (-20%);
- Honda Prologue — 334 kilometres of 439 kilometre range (-24%);
- Tesla Model 3 — 410 kilometres of 584 kilometre range (-30%);
- Kira Niro EV — 285 kilometres of 407 kilometre range (-30%);
- Ford Mustang Mach-E — 334 kilometres of 483 kilometre range (-31%);
- Chevrolet Equinox EV — 337 kilometres of 513 kilometre range (-34%);
- Ford F-150 Lightning — 296 kilometres of 515 kilometre range at 89 percent battery (-35%);
- Hyundai IONIQ 5 — 262 kilometres of 410 kilometre range (-36%);
- Toyota bZ4X — 255 kilometres of 406 kilometre range (-37%);
- Volvo XC40 Recharge — 248 kilometres of 409 kilometre range (-39%).
Charging Test
CAA also conducted charging tests to determine how many kilometres of range were added in a 15-minute session. Each vehicle was connected to a DC fast charger for the test.“On average, EVs managed to add around 100 kilometers of range, which amounted to 28 percent of battery charge,” said the release. “CAA found significant variations in how much charge an EV could gain in 15 minutes, highlighting the importance of considering charging rates for those who frequently drive long distances.”
The following is CAA’s list of vehicles and how much charge they gained over a period of 15 minutes:
- Tesla Model 3 — 205 kilometres added;
- Chevrolet Silverado EV — 199 kilometres added;
- Chevrolet Equinox EV — 131 kilometres added;
- Polestar 2 — 120 kilometres added;
- Volkswagen ID.4 — 112 kilometres added;
- Ford F-150 Lightning — 109 kilometres added;
- Kia EV9 — 105 kilometres added;
- Volvo XC40 Recharge — 90 kilometres added;
- Ford Mustang Mach-E — 71 kilometres added;
- Hyundai IONIQ 5 — 64 kilometres added;
- Kia EV6 — 58 kilometres added;
- Kia Niro EV — 35 kilometres added;
- Toyota bZ4X — 19 kilometres added.
