In a recent CAA poll, more than two thirds of Canadians said that the drop in range during winter is a top barrier to buying an EV. Among Canadian EV owners, more than 65 percent say they have experienced lower battery range in extreme cold weather.

Ian Jack, Vice President of Public Affairs at CAA National said: “CAA is responding to a top concern of Canadians when it comes to EVs. We measured the effective range of electric vehicles in cold weather and how quickly they charge. These insights are critical for both current EV owners and those considering making the switch.”

The CAA EV Winter Test featured 14 EVs, which included 7 out of 10 of the top sellers in Canada.  Models came from sport, luxury, SUV, sedan and truck categories, capturing a diverse range of vehicle types. Temperatures during the drive varied between -7 and -15 degrees Celsius, representing a typical Canadian winter.

Each vehicle was driven until the battery ran completely out of power to determine range in winter conditions. The results were compared to the estimated driving range published by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Canada’s government agency in charge of developing policies to reduce emissions and advance sustainable transportation. In Canada, only a single average is published, so consumers don’t have an accurate picture of winter range.

CAA also put to the test charging speeds, a critical factor for longer trips in an EV.

FULL RANGE AND CHARGE TEST RESULTS

Range test

*Calculation was adjusted to reflect that Chevrolet Silverado EV started at 73% state of charge and that Ford F-150 Lightning started at 89% state of charge.
Note: due to a complication Kia EV6 did not participate in the range test, but did participate in the charge test, see results below.

Charge test

Note: Honda Prologue was not included in the charge test as it encountered an error and data was unavailable. All vehicles were charged using 350 kW chargers, while the Tesla was charged at 150 kW due to compatibility requirements with the non-Tesla adapter.