Urgent warning to Tesla drivers during icy conditions as crashes in electric cars ‘could be much worse’, expert claims
TESLA drivers have been warned about driving in icy conditions as "crashes in electric cars may be worse," experts claim.
Vehicles like Teslas will supposedly have added problems in icy weather, due to these electric cars experiencing battery issues in colder conditions.
The results of many winter range tests show that typically, an electric vehicle will cover around 20 percent fewer miles in cold weather versus beach weather.
Because of this loss of range, electric car drivers are likely to have added hassles to their journeys.
They have to reconsider how far they can go, and how long it will take to recharge the car.
Winter storms like the I-95 traffic fiasco this weekend would be much riskier for electric drivers, reported .
"If everyone had been driving electric vehicles, this mess could well have been worse," wrote Lane.
"Any EV driver stuck on I-95 was right to be anxious — not only about a rapidly dying battery but also about recharging it."
Batteries of all kinds lose capacity more quickly in cold temperatures, and that even includes the sophisticated batteries used in electric vehicles.
This occurs because chemical and physical reactions slow down in the cold, according to Jon Witt.
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Luckily, the known issue of winter loss of range can be helped, though not fixed entirely.
Tesla acknowledged the problem by creating an efficiency-boosting , but recognized that the problem couldn't be completely solved.
Wired recommends not letting the battery get too low, keeping above 20 percent at all times.
Scientists are working on solid state batteries that won't be so sensitive to weather, but it is still developing in laboratories.
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In the meantime, electric car drivers should take extra caution and bundle up.
The Sun has reached out to Tesla for comment.