How Increasing Temperatures Affect Electric Range

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2 How Increasing Temperatures Affect Electric Range Electric car owners and operators understand that range can vary significantly. This is due to several factors, including driver behavior, the route taken and the outside temperature. The figure on the left shows the available real world ranges for Nissan LEAF vehicles. The values were collected over a 1 year time period, assuming a full battery at the start of each trip. We see similar trends with other electric vehicles. The vehicle s efficiency and electric driving range will vary from one day to the next based on driving conditions. Awareness of the factors that may reduce range can help drivers and operators achieve greater range and greater utilization of their vehicles. This increased utilization works to reduce payback periods. For more information on how to increase electric vehicle utilization watch our free Utilization Webinar.

3 HOW DOES HEAT AFFECT RANGE?

4 How does heat affect range? Air Conditioning The power used by the auxiliary system to cool the cabin reduces the amount of power the battery has available for electric range. This is the primary reason range drops when the temperature outside exceeds a comfortable temperature. Component Efficiencies Temperature affects the efficiency of electric vehicle powertrain components. At colder temperatures this inefficiency reduces the range of the electric vehicle. At warmer temperatures the efficiency increases.

5 CASE STUDY: DRIVER PREFERENCES

6 Case Study: Driver Preferences Keeping the cabin a comfortable temperature for the driver and passengers means heating and air conditioning will often be used. The amount of heating and air conditioning preferred can vary from driver to the driver. One of our fleet partners operated a Nissan LEAF in a metropolitan area. The driver s auxiliary load usage and range profile is shown to the left. This driver uses heating and air conditioning for all trips outside a C (72-74 F) window.

7 Case Study: Driver Preferences With a small window of ambient temperature where HVAC is not used, the available range for this driver is significantly affected by changing temperatures. The Hot Weather Webinar details additional case studies, and investigates garage storage and different driver behavior. Helping drivers to understand the impact of driving choices on electric range helps to increase confidence in electric vehicle range and usability. The increased utilization helps to reduce payback periods for the electric vehicle. PEAK RANGE 68 miles 110 km IN HOT WEATHER IN COOLER WEATHER -0.6 miles/ F -1.8 km/ C -1.1 miles/ F -3.2 km/ C

8 COMPONENT EFFICIENCY

9 Component Efficiency The figure shows the available range of electric vehicles when they were operated without any heating or air conditioning used. This helps to isolate the effect of ambient temperature without the large additional load from heating and air conditioning. The figure outlines how the component efficiency increases with warmer ambient temperatures.

10 Key Lessons When the heater is used in cold weather, it affects the electric range significantly more than the air conditioning in the summer. Component efficiency losses occur as the temperature drops. Heated garages dramatically increase the cold weather range of electric vehicles. For those that are heavy users of heating and air conditioning, there is only a small (~1 C) window where HVAC is not used. A driver s eco-driving behavior has a large impact at all temperatures.

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