Photo: Motor.no via YouTube
The Norwegians at Motor.no wanted to see which electric vehicles are the least affected by low temperatures in the northern country. The Tesla Model S showed impressive results, going the furthest on a charge. It also showed one of the smallest range degradations due to the cold.
Cold weather affects EVs more than combustion vehicles, sometimes cutting their range in half. This has been demonstrated time and again and is one of the first things EV detractors bring into the conversation. Nevertheless, the fact that Norway, a country that spans well beyond the Polar Circle, has the largest EV adoption rate in the world should be enough as a counter-argument. Almost 80% of the new cars sold in Norway in 2022 were battery-powered, which means Norwegians know more about EVs than most other nations.
Norway is a northern territory where snow and cold rule this time of the year. In the winter, even in the southern regions, temperature drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 degrees Celsius). This was also the case during the EV range test that the journalists from Motor.no organized. Nevertheless, going up into the mountains meant the temperature dropped to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius), putting a lot of stress on an EV’s battery.
Twenty-nine electric cars were assessed, including three Teslas, the Model S, Model X Plaid, and Model Y RWD. The itinerary was the same for all of them, although not all cars in the test followed it until the end, as they ran out of battery along the way. The test was simple: drive the car until it gets stuck with zero battery. The drivers used the Eco mode but no Autopilot, cruise control, or other driving aids.
The Tesla Model S was the only EV in the test to cover more than 500 km (310 miles) on a charge. It traveled 530 km (329 miles), representing a 16.40% deviation from the specified WLTP range of 634 km (394 miles). This is an impressive achievement considering the extremely low temperatures during the test. To be fair, the Model S also had the biggest range of all the cars in the test, although only one showed a smaller range penalty than the Model S: the Maxus Euniq6, an affordable EV made by SAIC in China (-10.45%).
The other Teslas in the test fared worse, with the Model X Plaid in the 6th position (444 km / 276 miles, an 18.23% range penalty versus the specified WLTP range). The Model Y RWD, a very popular model in Europe, traveled 335 km (208 miles), 26.93% below its specified range.
The Model S result breaks the previous record of the Tesla Model 3, which drove 521 km ( 324 miles) in last year’s test. The Model S’s result is even more impressive, considering the battery refused to charge to more than 98%. If you’re curious about how your EV of choice fares in the harsh Norwegian winter, you can go to Motor.no and see the results.
Norway is a northern territory where snow and cold rule this time of the year. In the winter, even in the southern regions, temperature drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 degrees Celsius). This was also the case during the EV range test that the journalists from Motor.no organized. Nevertheless, going up into the mountains meant the temperature dropped to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius), putting a lot of stress on an EV’s battery.
Twenty-nine electric cars were assessed, including three Teslas, the Model S, Model X Plaid, and Model Y RWD. The itinerary was the same for all of them, although not all cars in the test followed it until the end, as they ran out of battery along the way. The test was simple: drive the car until it gets stuck with zero battery. The drivers used the Eco mode but no Autopilot, cruise control, or other driving aids.
The Tesla Model S was the only EV in the test to cover more than 500 km (310 miles) on a charge. It traveled 530 km (329 miles), representing a 16.40% deviation from the specified WLTP range of 634 km (394 miles). This is an impressive achievement considering the extremely low temperatures during the test. To be fair, the Model S also had the biggest range of all the cars in the test, although only one showed a smaller range penalty than the Model S: the Maxus Euniq6, an affordable EV made by SAIC in China (-10.45%).
The other Teslas in the test fared worse, with the Model X Plaid in the 6th position (444 km / 276 miles, an 18.23% range penalty versus the specified WLTP range). The Model Y RWD, a very popular model in Europe, traveled 335 km (208 miles), 26.93% below its specified range.
The Model S result breaks the previous record of the Tesla Model 3, which drove 521 km ( 324 miles) in last year’s test. The Model S’s result is even more impressive, considering the battery refused to charge to more than 98%. If you’re curious about how your EV of choice fares in the harsh Norwegian winter, you can go to Motor.no and see the results.
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