Winter Driving With EVs: How to Advise Clients After Automotive School
Winter driving is tricky, no matter the car, especially in Canada. However, with an EV, it can be a bit more daunting. There is more torque going to the wheels, and they naturally weigh more due to batteries. This is why when a client asks you, as a hybrid and electric vehicle mechanic, for advice on winter driving, you must be able to advise them accordingly. There are essential factors that you can advise them on to ensure that they are safe on the winter roads.
If you want to be able to give the client some great tips on how to manage and drive their EV during winter, continue reading!
Advise Clients to Preheat the EV Before Driving it in Winter
EV batteries can suffer during winter due to lower temperatures. They often have reduced range in the cold and can take longer to charge. After becoming a hybrid and electrical vehicle mechanic, recommend to clients that they should preheat their EVs during winter. During your training, you’ll learn about battery systems and how they are affected by temperature. You should advise clients on these behaviours to help them get the most out of their vehicles, and it is also recommended that the EV is set to warm up while maintaining a charging connection so that no power is lost.
Maintain a High State of Charge Whenever Possible
Your client will most likely have a charging routine that they enjoy. However, in winter, some changes will need to be made to this routine to help ensure that there is still some charge left in the battery. It is known that heating a vehicle and battery are charge-heavy. Charging is also slower in winter. Therefore, it is important to recommend to the client that they maintain as high a state of charge as possible to ensure they are not left in a difficult situation when the EV uses more battery power than anticipated.
Utilizing regenerative braking is also advisable for the client. This will help keep more energy in the battery through regeneration. From your training, you will understand how this is beneficial and can explain that to clients.
Use Eco Mode After Hybrid and Electrical Mechanic Training
Eco mode on an EV provides benefits you can tell a client about. First and foremost, it helps save power. Another reason to use eco mode is that it helps the car maintain traction by reducing the power sent to the electric motors. Once you’ve completed hybrid and electrical mechanic training, you will understand how powerful the electric motors in an EV are. By putting it in eco mode and reducing power, you can stop the car from wheel spinning. This is especially great for driving on snow or ice when the road is slippery.
Recommend Using Winter Tires for Snow and Ice
While it is not mandatory in all of Canada, the province of Quebec requires all cars to use winter tires during the winter season, including EVs. Since EVs are heavier vehicles with higher torque, they benefit in the winter from the better traction that’s offered by winter tires to stop, turn, and accelerate without the wheels spinning.
Tire pressure can also decrease in winter conditions. That means you must advise clients to monitor the tire pressures closely at all times. A decrease in tire pressure can decrease the range and be a potential safety hazard.
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