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Electric vehicles offer the convenience of preheating their interiors in a garage without releasing harmful exhaust fumes. This allows you to enter a warm car before leaving the garage. But what if you don’t have a garage or need to heat your EV in frigid temperatures? Can EVs effectively handle the cold, and if so, which ones are the quickest to warm up?
Germany’s largest automobile association, the ADAC, conducted a series of tests to determine which EVs perform best in cold weather. The ADAC locked each car in a temperature-controlled room at freezing temperatures and measured the time it took, at maximum voltage, to warm the cabin to 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). In every test, the BMW iX came out on top, with the Volkswagen ID.3 coming in second place. After rapidly heating the cars, the ADAC conducted the opposite test.
After rapidly heating the cars, the ADAC turned them off and allowed them to freeze to measure how long it took for the temperature to drop down from 20 degrees. The BMW iX performed the best in this test as well, likely due to its impressive cabin insulation that helps retain heat. The VW ID.3 came in second place. In traffic, it typically takes 1.5-2.0 kWh of energy per hour to maintain a temperature of 68 degrees.
The ADAC also tested the Fiat 500e and Tesla Model Y in the same conditions. Tesla has traditionally been known for its efficiency, but BMW appears to have outdone Tesla in terms of heating and cooling its electric vehicles, adding another achievement to its list.
