Electric Car: How to Maintain It Properly During Winter?

The Mobiwisy editorial team offers you our advice to prevent ending up stranded on the roads this winter.

Electric vehicles require less maintenance than thermal vehicles, on average a service check every 30,000 km instead of 20,000 km for combustion engines. Nevertheless, Mobiwisy recommends some practices to avoid being on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck!

Preheat your air conditioning and battery during charging

Our mobility experts advise you to warm up your car while it is docked: this will extend the vehicle’s range. As with combustion cars, cold weather demands more work from the vehicle, which reduces its energy efficiency.

We also recommend choosing the right time to charge your car to avoid skyrocketing your electricity bill! Charging overnight will save you money and ensure a full battery when you head to work in the morning, allowing you to go anywhere with peace of mind.

Tires, an important factor in loss of range

The editorial team recommends regularly checking the condition of your tires to avoid losing ground on the road. Indeed, as with a thermal vehicle, well-inflated tires will allow you to cover a greater distance. You can thus perform a charge farther from your starting point!

Here are IZI (EDF)’s tips for recognizing worn tires:

• “Your tire treads measure less than 1.6 mm in height;
• A grayish, fibrous material appears on the tire surface;
• The sidewalls show signs of weakness;
• The tires are too old (5 years or more).”

Heated seats and steering wheels, your lifelong friends

If you are lucky enough to own heated seats or a heated steering wheel, like in the Volvo XC40 Recharge or the Renault ZOE, our experts recommend turning these functions on instead of heating the entire interior. This will save battery and give you direct access to heat. Very convenient in winter when temperatures are below or just above 0°C! As for heated seat belts that save battery, maybe in the future!

Indoor parking, better for your car

In line with the advice to heat part of the vehicle rather than the entire cabin, we suggest parking your car indoors as often as possible. The smaller the temperature difference between outside and inside, the better your range on the road.

Eco mode, a battery saver

One of the key elements of electric vehicle range is its battery. Therefore, it is important to regulate your power consumption well to move freely. Maintaining a steady speed is one way to do this, along with avoiding city centers during traffic jams. The editorial team also recommends keeping your car’s battery between 20% and 80%. This preserves the battery during parking and ensures you have enough energy in case of an emergency!

To summarize, here are our five tips for maintaining an electric car:

1. Preheat air conditioning and battery with the car still plugged in
2. Check tire condition
3. Heated seats and steering wheel, more practical than heating the entire cabin
4. Park indoors as much as possible
5. Use eco mode, better for your range

Also read: Is the electric car really cheaper than the thermal car in the city?