By WVUA 23 News Reporter Lyric Franklin
Icy roads and freezing temperatures aren’t the only troubles the cold is bringing. Electric car owners are starting to discover the effects the cold has on their batteries.
“Well the biggest thing you have to remember is watching how much you have in your charge for your car,” said Tesla owner Jeff Deneen. “Because like a gas tank it runs down. You kind of have to watch it because in the winter time batteries have to be warm to be efficient. So they take extra power to stay warm to be more efficient.”
The extra power causes the battery to work overtime, resulting in it depleting even when the car is at rest. To prevent this from happening, Mazda Salesman Terrell Byrd shares some tips.
“Try as best as you can to keep your electric battery in your vehicle in a temperature controlled environment as much as possible so that it does not experience extremes whether that be extremely hot or extremely cold,” Byrd said.
With the battery life not being as long in the cold, charging station lines have begun to increase as the weather also causes the batteries charging time to increase.
“With the weather, I don’t have a problem I have a charge at home in my garage, on campus here at the University of Alabama we have a couple of charging stations in most garages,” said Deneen.
In order to keep your electric vehicle in the best condition in the cold weather, professionals recommend you travel only when needed and to keep a close eye out on charging stations when you are out.
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