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For many Americans, winter has come suddenly and aggressively this year, reminding us that we still have a season of frigid temperatures and slippery roads ahead of us. However, for more Americans than ever before, winter adds another layer of complexity, as they prepare for their first winter in an electric vehicle.
That will certainly be the case for owners of the Ford F-150 Lightning, which just started being delivered to customers this year, as well as for the roughly five percent of new car buyers who now own own an electric car.
While it’s worth mentioning that the range of internal combustion engines is also reduced in colder weather, it doesn’t seem like much of a concern for those drivers. For EV owners, Ford offers eight tips to maximize EV range when the mercury starts to drop.
Read: Ford F-150 Lightning Tackles Freezing Alaska Ahead of Its Launch
First, it’s helpful to park an EV in a garage whenever possible, as the space offers at least some protection from the cold, and can provide access to a charging plug. That, incidentally, is the automaker’s second tip: keep your car plugged in when parked to make sure you have as much range as possible when you take off.
For its third tip, it recommends preconditioning the F-150 Lightning’s battery before a longer commute, because a warm battery works better. If you’re really concerned about range, you may not want your battery to get as hot, however, as Ford recommends using the heater as little as possible while charging to ensure you don’t deplete the battery before at least leave. .
For those who can’t park their car in a garage, it can snow. If that happens, it’s important to remove all the snow, because snow is heavy, and you don’t want to waste electricity hauling it away. That’s also a good practice no matter what you’re driving, because snow and ice can fly on the highway and become a hazard for following vehicles.
While driving, you can also help improve efficiency by using seat and steering heaters and relying less on the HVAC system. Heated surfaces use less electricity to warm vehicle occupants than a traditional heater. Ford also recommends keeping your tires properly inflated to improve efficiency, and, finally, driving at moderate speeds, because the faster you go, the more energy is required of the vehicle.
While freezing temperatures are known to reduce the range of some EVs by up to 50 percent, drivers can minimize the cold’s impact on their vehicle by planning ahead.
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