Are electric cars more reliable in winter than thermic cars ?

Electric cars have a bad reputation in the winter. People say that they break down more often, the battery runs out faster, and you have to warm them up before charging them. But is it really true?

A Norwegian study compared the breakdown rate of electric cars and gasoline cars in the winter. And the result is surprising: electric cars are almost twice as reliable as gasoline cars!

Indeed, in Norway, electric cars represent 23% of the car fleet. And since the beginning of the year, the country has been experiencing extreme cold conditions. Viking Assistance Group, a Norwegian roadside assistance service, received 34,000 assistance requests in the first 9 days of 2024.

Of these 34,000 requests, 13% were for electric cars. That’s 4,420 electric cars that needed assistance. The remaining 87% were for gasoline cars, or 29,580 gasoline cars.

One might think that this result is biased, as there are many more gasoline cars than electric cars in Norway. But the study takes this factor into account. It compares the breakdown rate of electric cars to the breakdown rate of gasoline cars, proportional to their number.

This means that, if we had the same number of electric cars and gasoline cars in Norway, electric cars would have even more chances of not breaking down.

So why are electric cars so reliable in the winter?

There are several reasons for this. First, the batteries of electric cars are designed to withstand the cold. They are equipped with heating systems that help maintain the optimal battery temperature.

Next, electric motors are simpler than gasoline engines. They therefore have fewer parts that can break down.

Finally, electric cars are lighter than gasoline cars. They therefore consume less energy, which reduces the risk of breakdown.

Of course, there are a few precautions you can take to make your electric car even more reliable in the winter. For example, it is important to precondition the battery before charging. This technique helps to warm up the battery and prepare it for charging.

Overall, electric cars are a good solution for the winter. They are more reliable than gasoline cars, and they consume less energy.