Drivers of electric vehicles need to be aware how far their vehicles can travel on a single charge. According to new AAA research conducted with the AAA Automotive Research Center in southern California, the range of EVs can be reduced by up to 57 percent based on the temperature outside.
 
"EVs offer lots of pluses," said John Nielsen, managing director, AAA National's Automotive Engineering and Repair. "But EV drivers need to carefully monitor driving range in hot and cold weather."
 
AAA conducted simulations to measure the driving range of three fully-electric vehicles in cold, moderate and hot weather. Temperature made a big difference in driving range for all three EVs.
 
The average EV battery range in AAA's tests was 105 miles at 75°F, but dropped 57 percent to 43 miles when the temperature was held steady at 20°F and to 69 miles per full charge at 95°F.
 
AAA performed testing between December 2013 and January 2014. Each vehicle completed a driving cycle for moderate, hot and cold climates following standard EPA-DOE test procedures. The vehicles were fully charged and then "driven" on a dynamometer in a climate-controlled room until the battery was fully exhausted.
 
AAA has initiated several projects including mobile recharging units and EV charging stations to support members who drive electric vehicles. Mapping tools such as the AAA TripTik Travel Planner pinpoint charging stations to keep motorists on the go.