Experienced electric car drivers are aware that when the temperature drops, the range of an EV also decreases. The problem is well-documented, as it’s widely understood that all EVs suffer a loss of driving miles in freezing temperatures.
This is due to the fact that the liquid electrolytes in the lithium-ion cells of modern EV battery packs can freeze in very cold conditions, leading to inhibited flow of ions between the electrodes.
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The winners and losers in Norway’s winter EV range test
The Tesla Model 3 was among the electric cars that lost the most driving range when compared to its advertised figure in this year’s El Prix test conducted by the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF). The Ford F-150 Lightning fared even worse, while the Chinese HiPhi Z came closest to its WLTP range rating and stole the show.
However, not all EVs are affected equally by changes in temperature. Some are better at maintaining their real-world driving range close to the advertised figure. This is where the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF) comes in, with what it claims to be the world’s largest EV range test.
The latest edition of the test, called El Prix, included 23 battery-powered cars driven until their high-voltage batteries ran out of juice in the cold Norwegian winter, known for its temperature challenges.
The cars tested included the facelifted Tesla Model 3 (Highland), Ford F-150 Lightning, BMW i5, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Kia EV9, and Toyota bZ4X, as well as the HiPhi Z, Nio EL6 (also known as the ES6), and BYD Dolphin among others, providing a diverse group of EVs for testing.
The winter range test took place on January 31, with temperatures ranging from 28.4 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-2 to -10 degrees Celsius).
None of the cars reached their advertised range figures. The winner of the range test was the Chinese-made HiPhi Z sedan, which traveled 324 miles (522 kilometers) before running out of charge–a 5.9% drop compared to its WLTP figure of 344.8 miles (555 km).
HiPhi Z during the 2024 El Prix winter range test (Source: NAF)
The Tesla Model 3, with a higher WLTP rating of 390.8 miles (629 km), fell short by 29.9% after driving for 274 miles (441 km) before its battery was depleted. The Volkswagen ID.7 had the highest deviation from the official rating, driving for 257 miles (414 km) before retiring–a 31.9% drop from its WLTP rating of 377.8 miles (608 km).