I Left My EV Unplugged In The Chilly For Weeks. Here is How A lot Vary I Misplaced

Upstate New York winters are not any joke. Up the place I reside, we began getting bombed with January- and February-style chilly climate as early as Thanksgiving, sending the excessive temperatures down into the low 30s most days if we have been fortunate. There are many methods to take care of this. One methodology I extremely advocate is to spend money on some high-quality wool socks; a good higher concept is to get a aircraft ticket to someplace hotter. 

However in case you’re an electrical car proprietor and it’s essential depart your automobile alone for just a few weeks at a time, and you realize it should be parked someplace very chilly, what kind of vary are you able to anticipate whenever you return? We all know that chilly temperatures specifically are the enemy of lithium-ion batteries. Whereas they do not carry out particularly properly in excessive warmth, they do even worse when the temperatures get low.

So when my spouse and I deliberate out a quite formidable vacation schedule—we might spend almost a month in our native Texas touring the state and seeing family and friends, all earlier than I’d head to Las Vegas to cowl CES 2025—we had the possibility to run a little bit experiment with our Kia EV6. 

We’d be gone from Dec. 15 to Jan. 10. (Sure, the vacations have been a lot for us, in case you are curious.) Earlier than we left, we charged the EV6 to 80% as we do most days until we have now an extended drive forward to protect the automobile’s battery life. Then we might depart it unplugged, in our chilly indifferent storage, whereas temperatures have been within the 30s on common—typically as excessive as 54 levels Fahrenheit, typically as little as 12 levels. (Climate is bizarre.) 

There is a frequent concern amongst those that aren’t acquainted with EVs: that they’re going to have to depart their automobile parked for a number of days or even weeks for a visit, then come again to the airport to discover a fully useless battery. In any case, any battery will lose cost over time, even when it isn’t getting used. So if we left the EV6 unplugged, and in not significantly EV-friendly climate, what would we come again to? What a fantastic alternative to search out out.

Picture by: Patrick George

For context, my EV6 is a Twin-Motor AWD Wind mannequin. It is formally EPA-rated at 282 miles of vary, although its onboard pc’s projections differ extra extensively relying on the climate than many different EVs I’ve pushed. In average fall and summer season climate, the automobile learn as having greater than 300 miles of vary many instances. These days in winter, it has been fairly a bit decrease than that. I am working to translate these projections into real-world vary outcomes, so keep tuned there. 

So after we left for Texas we made positive the Kia was charged to 80%, which learn as 183 miles of vary. Then the automobile sat there for 28 days, fully unplugged from my house ChargePoint Degree 2 charger, and by no means checked utilizing the Kia smartphone app (which briefly powers on the automobile and its 12-volt battery to see what is going on on.) 

And after we returned, the EV6 had… 180 miles of vary at a 78% cost. 

After which after I got here again a couple of minutes later to get photographic proof of this, the automobile’s pc learn barely larger, as much as 183 miles of vary but once more. 

Picture by: InsideEVs

In different phrases, we principally did not lose any vary in any respect. Possibly 2%, if the automobile’s vary calculator is to be believed, however that clearly did not translate into any misplaced miles. So, sure: You possibly can depart your EV unplugged for some time and the battery—together with the essential 12-volt battery—will not fully die when you’re gone.

It is right here the place I ought to be aware that above all else, it is best to seek the advice of your proprietor’s guide to know precisely what to do if it’s essential retailer it long-term. Most manuals advocate you do depart them plugged in, if potential, as a result of the automobiles will then be mechanically in a position to preserve a correct cost degree as wanted. However as our mates at battery well being startup Recurrent be aware, some EVs are totally different than others; it recommends you permit a Hyundai (which is actually the identical car as my Kia) plugged in, however Ford recommends leaving a Mustang Mach-E unplugged beginning round 50% with the 12-volt battery disconnected if the automobile must be saved for greater than 30 days. Tesla additionally recommends leaving your automobile plugged in when it is being saved and never disturbed too usually with the app, and you may as well disable options like Sentry Mode to maintain energy consumption down as properly. 

Here is what my guide recommends for longer EV6 storage: If the car is not going to be in use for an prolonged time frame, cost the high-voltage battery as soon as each three months to stop it from discharging. Additionally, if the car battery cost is inadequate, instantly cost the car to fill capability and repair the car.”

So if I actually have been to be gone from my EV6 for 3 months, I might most likely depart it plugged in at my storage, then verify on it periodically through my smartphone app, together with scheduling charging as wanted. 

Picture by: Patrick George

Here is the place I’d additionally remind folks that it isn’t nice to retailer an inside combustion car for months at a time, both. A 12-volt battery can die, gasoline can evaporate, fluids can go dangerous and so forth. However fairly frankly, my EV6 dealt with being parked for weeks higher than many older gas-powered automobiles I’ve owned would have performed. It acquitted itself very properly throughout our lengthy journey.

So here is the lesson: Seek the advice of your proprietor’s guide, however leaving your EV parked within the chilly for a very long time most likely will not be that large of a deal. 

Obtained different cold-weather driving and storage suggestions? Drop them within the feedback under. 

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