Everyone with electric cars given urgent warning as snow forecast to hit UK

During the colder winter months, the ranges of some electric cars can drop and reduce the distance owners can travel before needing to charge up.

Whilst this can be frustrating for some motorists, there are ways electric car owners can mitigate the loss of range when the temperatures plummet.

This advice could come in handy as the Met Office’s long range predicted the possibility of snow and low temperatures over the Christmas period.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express, Auto Trader’s Editorial Director Erin Baker said there were several ways for motorists to reduce the amount of range they lose due to wintry conditions.

Erin’s comments come at a time when manufacturers and motorists around the world are attempting to mange the transition to electric cars which includes learning how to live with them in a different way.

On how to get more miles out of your electric car, Erin recommended: “Keep your electric car in a garage or enclosed parking space, or even just under a cover, as this can help keep the car and its battery warmer. The warmer it is, the more likely it is to hold its charge.”

She also recommended preheating the car and it’s battery as well as deploying efficient driving techniques such as driving slower and not braking or accelerating hard.

Erin explained: “Most modern electric cars have a feature called ‘preconditioning’, which allows you to set the car to warm up while it’s still plugged in. That way, you’re not using the car’s battery to heat the car. Depending on the car, you may be able to do this remotely via a phone app, or on a timer so it’s ready to go before you leave for work.

“Avoiding sudden acceleration and braking, driving at a steady speed, and driving a little more slowly generally will help get the most miles out of your battery.

“Only use the air conditioning when necessary too, especially during the early stages of your journey when it’ll have to work harder to get to temperature.”

The Met Office‘s long range forecast, covering the period from December 24 until January 7, warned Brits what to expect.

It said: “Mainly unsettled conditions appear likely for most, with spells of wind and rain followed by showers affecting most areas but especially the north and northwest of the UK. Some sleet and snow is also likely at times, especially on high ground in the north.”

Erin isn’t the only expert to comment on the electric car transition in recent weeks, with Auto Trader’s Commercial Director telling the Express that the UK had hit “peak petrol” and predicted the number of new petrol cars could soon fall dramatically.

Ian Plummer said: “Peak petrol is a genuine landmark for the UK. We expect to see a seismic shift in British motoring over the next decade as the number of petrol cars falls by nearly half and EVs take a much bigger share.

“All this is happening against the backdrop of exceptionally strong used car demand despite a range of challenges for the industry, not least the introduction of ZEV targets, constrained supply, changing finance rules, and the Budget.”