(July 21, 2023) Recent extreme heat across much of the Southern and Western U.S. is highlighting a problem with electric vehicles — their range wilts as the temperature climbs into the stratosphere, Automotive News reported Thursday.

Recurrent, a Seattle EV battery and range analytics company, tested thousands of vehicles in a variety of weather conditions. Many vehicles experienced significant declines in range as temperatures rose, and some suffered a 31 percent plunge when temperatures reached 100-plus degrees Fahrenheit. At cooler temperatures, the tested vehicles' range loss was not as high, with an average of 5 percent reduction at 90 degrees and 2.8 percent at 80 degrees.



In calculating these average temperatures, Recurrent used a blend of data from the 17,000 vehicles the firm tracks. The data includes 65 models of EVs and plug-in hybrids. They included Tesla Models 3, Y, S and X; the Chevrolet Bolt EV; Hyundai Kona; Nissan Leaf; and Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E.Case: Heat pump helps Tesla’s resist range declines

Recurrent did not release the names of the poorest performing models. Tesla's cars had the smallest range degradation in heat but also had the widest gap between their real-world range and the EPA's estimates.

Sources: Automotive News, Recurrent