{"id":3352,"date":"2019-08-28T16:11:13","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T14:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/?p=3352"},"modified":"2019-08-28T16:11:13","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T14:11:13","slug":"3352","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2019\/08\/28\/3352\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to Managing EV Range in Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

The Gunnison County Electric Association regularly runs its Nissan Leaf during\u00a0the winter at an altitude greater than 7,000 feet.\u00a0Photo courtesy of GCEA.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tips to Managing EV Range in Winter<\/h2>\n

Alliy\u00a0Sahagan\u00a0coasted in a 2017 Nissan\u00a0Leaf\u00a0into the Gunnison County Electric Association\u00a0(GCEA)\u00a0warehouse in Gunnison, Colo.\u00a0on the electric vehicle equivalent of running on fumes.\u00a0Just minutes earlier, the\u00a0Leaf\u2019s dashboard\u00a0told her\u00a0the car\u00a0had zero miles left and a 9%\u00a0battery charge.<\/p>\n

Sahagan\u00a0was returning from what was supposed to be a\u00a025-mile\u00a0test drive on a minus 5-degrees Fahrenheit\u00a0January morning.\u00a0When she\u00a0left\u00a0the electric\u00a0utility company\u2019s\u00a0warehouse, she didn\u2019t notice the battery level was at 63%.<\/p>\n

Sahagan\u00a0knew GCEA operating guidelines\u00a0warn\u00a0battery\u00a0electric\u00a0vehicle\u00a0(BEV)\u00a0operators to expect up to a 40%\u00a0reduction in vehicle range\u00a0in\u00a0Gunnison\u2019s\u00a0subzero\u00a0winter\u00a0weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my haste, I neglected\u00a0to follow some of my own EV prep preaching,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Sahagan,\u00a0who oversees the association\u2019s BEV loan program, which includes the Leaf, a Chevy Spark model and two other hybrid-electric vehicles.<\/p>\n

She\u00a0has since used this story as a cautionary tale to help people remember the\u00a0dos and don\u2019ts of operating electric vehicles during the winter.<\/p>\n

Battery Science<\/h4>\n

According to the University of Michigan\u2019s Energy Institute,\u00a0the\u00a0batteries on electric vehicles are much\u00a0like human beings\u00a0\u2014\u00a0they prefer the same temperature range of 60 to 80 degrees for optimal performance.\u00a0As a result, charging should take place at temperatures above freezing.<\/p>\n

As the temperature drops, the battery\u2019s electrolyte fluid flows more sluggishly. At temperatures\u00a0below freezing, charging the battery without first reducing the charge current\u00a0causes the battery to become less mechanically stable and more prone to sudden failure,\u00a0warns\u00a0RELiON\u00a0manufacturer of a low-temperature lithium iron phosphate battery.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0RELiON,\u00a0under normal conditions,\u00a0the\u00a0battery\u2019s\u00a0lithium ions are soaked up\u00a0by the porous graphite in the anode, or negative terminal, much how a sponge soaks up water.<\/p>\n

Below freezing, however, the anode doesn\u2019t efficiently capture\u00a0the lithium ions.\u00a0Instead, many lithium ions coat the surface of the anode,\u00a0restricting\u00a0the flow of electricity and\u00a0causing\u00a0the\u00a0battery\u2019s capacity\u00a0to\u00a0drop.<\/p>\n

Low Temp Advice<\/h4>\n

For\u00a0BEV\u00a0operators, these\u00a0recommendations\u00a0will help\u00a0maximize performance and range:<\/p>\n