How well can EVs handle the heat — and the cold? AAA put them to the test

Exclusive Business How well can EVs handle the heat — and the cold? AAA put them to the test May 1, 20267:00 AM ET Camila Domonoske An electric vehicle charges at an EVgo electric charger in Monrovia, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Electric vehicle batteries are a lot like people, in one important respect: They're most comfortable in temperatures around 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. When the weather gets much colder or hotter than that, a battery works less efficiently. It has to work harder, too, to keep the vehicle's cabin comfortable for its equally picky human occupants. The result? Electric vehicles can't drive as far or as efficiently in extremely hot or cold weather. AAA has been testing exactly how big an effect temperatures have on modern EV batteries. In its latest research, shared exclusively with NPR, it found that hot temperatures reduced range by an average of 8.5%. Cold weather cut vehicles' range by a whopping 39%. Sponsor Message Business How long do electric vehicle batteries actually last? AAA ran similar tests back in 2019 with a different vehicle lineup. Back then, the cold weather hit to range was approximately the same, while the high-temperature range loss was higher, 17%. The different slate of vehicles complicates direct comparison, AAA warns, but does suggest some improvements in how EVs handle the heat. But not the cold. "There's been a lot of technology changes," says Greg Bannon, the director of automotive engineering at AAA. New battery chemistries; more efficient EV designs; fancier software. But when it comes to winter range performance, "the electric vehicles actually didn't change all that much from back in 2019." Greg Bannon, the director of automotive engineering at AAA, at the Automotive Research Center in Los Angeles. Courtney Theophin/NPR hide caption toggle caption Courtney Theophin/NPR These results show that drivers need to be prepared for their real-world range t...