Electric Cars in Extreme Cold: Tesla Model 3 Shows Reliability at -40 Degrees
During this year's record cold periods, there have been reports of widespread snow chaos on the roads. Along the E22 in Skåne, hundreds of cars have been stuck for over 24 hours. A couple from Norrbotten shared their experience of driving a 2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance in extremely cold conditions.
They reported that just preheating the car at minus 40 degrees consumed 12 percent of the battery. A round trip to work, which was 9 miles, then took another 40 percent of the battery. This is twice as much as usual, meaning that the car's range in such temperatures is between 20 and 25 miles, compared to the normal 40 to 50 miles.
Despite the increased consumption, the car started without problems and warmed up quickly, which impressed the owners. They mentioned that even cars with internal combustion engines use more fuel in cold weather, but their electric car was always warm and ready to go, provided it was preheated in time and plugged into the wall.
A famous skier and SVT employee also shared his positive experience of driving an electric car in the cold, pointing out that many people with diesel cars had problems in the extremely low temperatures.
