How much range does an electric car lose in summer? This is how high temperatures affect fuel consumption.

Electric cars are becoming increasingly common in Spain, so this summer many users will be using this type of vehicle for long journeys on national highways. Although they require proper maintenance, just like with a gasoline or diesel vehicle, they have special characteristics that must be taken into account, especially if you plan to travel long distances during the summer season.

One of the most distinguishing features between hybrid and electric vehicles and fossil fuel vehicles is their lithium-ion batteries and range, which, like many other car qualities, can be severely affected by high temperatures. To test how much heat loss is associated with, ADAC, Germany's largest automobile club, conducted a test with the Tesla Model Y, and the results were quite illuminating.

How heat affects electric car range

On a German test bench, ADAC subjected a Tesla model to a simulated traffic jam lasting approximately eight hours, under ambient conditions of 35°C and with the car's air conditioning at around 20°C, since in summer virtually everyone drives with the cooling system on. Under these circumstances, the power consumption was 12 kW, which greatly helped gauge the effect of temperature on the range of these vehicles.

From this data, it was deduced that battery consumption was 2% every hour, equivalent to approximately eight kilometers of range lost every 60 minutes. Consumption during that same time interval was (on average) 1.5 kW/h, meaning the battery lost 16% of its capacity in those eight hours, which is not insignificant considering the harsh conditions of the study.

If we compare these same parameters with gasoline and diesel cars, which, according to ADAC, consume between 1.0 and 1.5 liters every 60 minutes traveling at 100 km/h with air conditioning on, the conclusion is revealing: these figures translate into a consumption of between 10 and 15 kWh in that period of time, 10 times more than electric cars.

This way, owners of this type of vehicle have no reason to worry unduly about the effects of heat on their car's range when taking a long trip in the summer. However, as with any long-distance journey, it's essential to check before leaving home that the vehicle is ready to handle such distances.