The electric car is not the solution for everyone. And now a new Swedish test shows that the technology falls short when it gets cold. Especially compared to hybrids.
If it has to do with batteries – that is, besides the usual 12-volt ones – then it's better to sit behind the wheel of a hybrid car.
At least when it gets really cold and wintery. This is revealed by a new test conducted by Swedish Vibiläger .
The Toyota bZ4x in particular is a huge disappointment in terms of the difference in range between summer weather and winter temperatures. But it is significant that the electric car lags behind in the cold.
The Swedes are the first to reach that conclusion, however. And they probably won't be the last. Boosted has previously reported on studies of the range of electric cars in cold weather.
And the results of the various tests are not impressive, to say the least. According to a study published by the American Recurrent in December 2022, some electric cars lose up to 35 percent of their range in cold weather.
The scandal-hit Chevrolet Bolt fared worst. But neither the Ford Mustang Mach-e nor Volkswagen's family of ID. models have anything to brag about.
Back in January 2022, a number of Danish electric car owners told Jyllands-Posten about how the cold was eating away at the range of their cars. Mach E owner Mads Tjærby said, among other things, that his car was losing range at a pace that seriously surprised him.
– It was 20 degrees and late summer when we got the car in early September, and even though the range started to decrease in the fall, it was surprising that it is so sensitive to cold, he tells the newspaper.
