If you’re an electric car owner, you might be wondering how different weather conditions impact the performance. But thanks to some cool tech, EV batteries stay cool under pressure no matter the climate.
Like most of us, you’ll likely be familiar with tech suffering in different weather.
Satellite TV boxes often get scrambled in severe wet and windy days, and your typical iPhone often crumbles under extreme heat, draining the battery flat.
The latter of which is a concern for electric car owners, too. But thanks to a nice bit of tech, EV batteries stay cool in the harshest of environments.
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Here’s exactly how EV batteries stay cool
It’s never really been an issue in cars before, as gas and oil aren’t typically changed by the weather. But EVs are different, and extreme heat and cold conditions can take their toll.
Heat, especially, has been a cause for concern for drivers, particularly those in hot locations like southern America, China, and the Middle East.
But contrary to common belief, EVs have a good way of combating hot temperatures, even in extremely hot States like Arizona.
For years, EVs have used the HVAC air cooling systems, blowing fans on the battery to keep them at optimum temperatures. But this is soon set to be phased out in most cars.
Nowadays, cold plates are commonplace beneath the battery, kicking into gear when it reaches certain temperatures in a sort of self-care method.
Brands like Rivian, Hyundai, Ford, General Motors, and Lucid all use cold plates.
You’ll notice Tesla is missing from that list, though. That’s because they use cooling pipes that feed directly into the battery. Same tech, but a different method, due to their vents being on the side of their Models.
But there are new ways that EV batteries stay cool, too. Lithium-ion charging packs are now being built with a self-cooling antifreeze system called liquid cooling.
While not every car has this, they might soon if manufacturers can ensure a savvy way to avoid the liquid interfering with the electricity. We all know that’s a recipe for disaster, and not even antifreeze can put out a fire.
What happens to EVs in harsh weather
Heat isn’t the only damaging factor for batteries, as the cold also reduces battery life. Studies have shown that Tesla cars suffer from a lower range in severe chills, which isn’t helpful if you’re out in Minnesota or Canada.
But just as there are ways of cooling batteries, there soon might be ways of turning those cold plates into hot plates and heating the car up quickly.
And don’t worry about clear steam, it’s usually a good sign…
There are bigger EVs that can stand all kinds of weather, but it’s safe to say that keeping your common road car at a nice temperature is a recipe for success.
If not, batteries have to work overtime, and this directly impacts the range and lifespan.
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