The heat generated in a gas car is a straightforward affair, but electric vehicles can’t rely on the heat generated by the engine to keep passengers warm. Electric cars can still keep drivers toasty in winter months, but they utilize unique methods to warm the car cabin.
Electric cars keep warm using resistive methods, which generate heat when electrical current flows through a resistor. Alternatively, they utilize a specialized heat pump system, which extracts thermal energy from the outside and transfers it into the cabin.
If you ever wondered just how electric vehicles fare in colder climates or winter months, here are some explanations on how your electric vehicle functions to keep you warm. Electric vehicles utilize sophisticated heating systems designed to operate efficiently in low temperatures, ensuring that cabin heat is delivered quickly without draining the battery excessively. It’s important to understand these functionalities to maximize your driving experience during winter months, along with ultimate electric car ownership tips that can help maintain battery performance and efficiency. With proper winter care, you can enjoy a comfortable ride while minimizing the impact on your vehicle’s range.
How Do Electric Cars Keep You Warm in Winter?
Electric cars keep you warm in winter by using resistive heating, positive temperature coefficient heating, or heat pumps. The first two techniques use electrical resistance to convert electricity to heat, while heat pumps extract heat from the cold air outside and transfer it to the cabin.
| Resistive Heating | Positive Temperature Coefficient Heating | Heat Pumps | |
| Overall Efficiency | 98-99.5% | 100% | 300% |
| Pros | Cheap Quick heating Requires less power in summer | Safe Energy efficient Flexible | 3 times more efficient than other methods Quiet Air quality |
| Cons | High power consumption in icy temperatures Reduced range in cold weather | Not as efficient as heat pumps Fouling | Expensive to install and maintain High power consumption |
Here’s a rundown of how the three heating methods work as well as their pros and cons:
Resistive Heating in Electric Cars
Electric cars use resistive heating by electrically heating wires wrapped around your car’s heater core.
When you turn on the car’s heat, electricity will flow through these wires, and they’ll get hot. This process takes time, and the heat output will be limited until the cabin heats up.
What Are the Pros of Resistive Heating?
Although initially chosen as the primary heating system for EVs, most manufacturers have shied away from their high energy consumption. However, we can’t deny that they had some advantages. One notable benefit of this system is its ability to provide rapid heating, ensuring that electric cars and air conditioning can operate efficiently even in colder climates. Additionally, they have shown effectiveness in maintaining a comfortable cabin temperature during longer trips, which can enhance overall driving experience. Alongside this, improvements in energy efficiency technologies may lead to a resurgence of interest in these systems for future models.
The pros of resistive heating include the following:
- A cost-effective installation.
- Quick heat generation.
- It doesn’t require much electricity during summer.
What Are the Cons of Resistive Heating?
The extreme lack of energy efficiency has made these systems practically obsolete in modern EVs.
Here are the cons of resistive heating that caused their decline in popularity:
- It lacks energy efficiency in cold weather.
- Large amounts of electricity are needed to maintain the heat in winter conditions.
- It has reduced driving range in cold weather.
If you’d like to find out How EV’s Handle In The Snow, check out this related article.
Positive Temperature Coefficient Heating in Electric Vehicles
Electric cars also employ positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heating by using conductive inks printed on polymer substrates. When electricity travels through the conductive material, it’ll heat up.
That said, PTC heating is much faster than resistive heating – electricity passes through almost as soon as you turn your car’s heat on. This technique also allows for greater energy efficiency as the electric resistance produces only a small amount of heat.
What Are the Pros of PTC Heating?
The pros of PTC heating include:
- They’re safer because they don’t use wires that would increase fire risk.
- They consume less power than traditional resistive heaters.
- They heat the cabin faster than resistive heaters.
- They’re flexible and come in different shapes and sizes.
What Are the Cons of PTC Heating?
Although PTC heating is a popular alternative in EVs, the system does have some shortcomings that you should consider.
The cons of PTC heating systems include:
- PTC isn’t as energy efficient as heat pumps.
- They’re highly susceptible to fouling, weakening their structural integrity.
Heat Pumps for Electric Cars
The third heating method in electric cars is using heat pumps. Heat pumps extract frigid air from the outside and pass it over a particular type of material to help transfer warmth from the colder air to your cabin.
This process uses an external power source such as a power outlet or an additional heater core, and it can efficiently improve your car’s overall temperature.
What Are the Pros of Heat Pumps?
Heat pumps are the most popular method of electric vehicle heating mainly due to their excellent energy efficiency.
The pros of heat pumps also include:
- Heat pumps are the least energy consuming of the heat sources.
- They offer better air quality than PTC and resistive heating.
- They’re quiet during operation.
What Are the Cons of Heat Pumps?
Although heat pumps are the future of EVs, they do come with a price tag. They tend to require more maintenance and care along with other shortcomings.
The cons of heat pumps also include:
- They have high initial installation costs.
- They’re less efficient at extreme temperatures.
- They have higher maintenance costs.
That said, this YouTube video by Transport Evolved is an excellent primer on how EVs use the heating techniques I’ve described above:
Do Electric Cars Work in the Cold?
Electric vehicles work in the cold and can travel just as well during winter as in summer. However, their driving range decreases at lower temperatures since they require more power to heat the battery and start the engine for the first time in colder weather. To mitigate this effect, many manufacturers are implementing advanced thermal management systems to help regulate battery temperature. Additionally, understanding how electric cars performance in winter can inform drivers about optimal charging practices and using energy-efficient driving modes. With proper care and preparation, electric vehicles can still provide reliable service throughout the colder months.
Although EVs still function in colder weather, expect to recharge your battery more often to maintain the same mileage that you achieve in summer. if you’re willing to sacrifice a few miles to get on the road right away, you’ll be fine. You merely need to be more vigilant about charging times, as the last thing you need is to be stranded on an icy road.
Do Electric Cars Need To Warm Up Before Being Driven?
An electric vehicle doesn’t need to warm up before being driven, but it uses more power in cold weather when you first turn on your car’s heat and start driving. The battery needs to heat up to improve driving efficiency and experience.
When it’s cold outside, your electric car will need more power than usual to heat the battery and get everything running smoothly. Because of that, it’s essential to charge your car in advance before you start driving or wait until the temperature rises to enjoy a higher traveling range.
Do Electric Cars Have Problems in Cold Weather?
Electric cars have problems in cold weather and will experience a decrease in range. According to research by AAA, frigid temperatures reduce an electric car’s driving range by up to 41%. This decrease in range necessitates drivers to recharge their electric vehicles more often.
The 41% drop in battery life is quite a considerable drop in range, reducing your mileage per charge almost in half. Therefore, before driving your car in winter, always remember that you won’t have the same amount of power in the battery as usual.
You should adequately prepare yourself and your vehicle for any journey ahead to avoid running out of battery when you need it most.
Here are a few important ways to maximize your EV’s driving range during the winter:
- Be prepared and recharged before setting out: Ensure you fully charge your EV before you start driving. Making sure you have a fully charged battery will give you more power to avoid losing range quickly during the winter months.
- Maximize your energy efficiency: Every little bit counts. When it’s cold, focus on your destination and limit unnecessary travel or idling as these activities drain power, reducing your overall range.
- Limit heater usage when driving: This is key to maintaining a high battery level. If you want to be as efficient as possible, limit your time using the heater and only use it when necessary. Using your heater unnecessarily will draw energy from the battery, drain the power more quickly, and necessitate more charging stops.
Pro Tip: How many modes of defrost do Teslas have?
There are two modes of defrost. The first one is just a regular defrost and if you click on it a second time it will activate a heated version, which will crank the temperature all the way to high. In some situations, this might be a better mode to drive in. I hope this helps.
