Efficient energy management: a winter guide for the professional EV driver

1. Master the warm start

The most energy-intensive part of winter driving is heating a freezing car from scratch. If your vehicle is still connected to a charging point, you can use your car’s app to pre-heat the cabin. By doing this, you use power directly from the grid to reach an optimal temperature, leaving 100% of your battery capacity for the journey ahead. This process also warms the battery cells, ensuring they operate much more efficiently the moment you hit the accelerator.

2. Use direct heat first

Heating the air in a large cabin via the climate control system consumes a significant amount of power. For a more efficient drive, it is better to rely on your heated seats and steering wheel. These features transfer heat directly to your body via contact, which uses a fraction of the energy required by the HVAC fans. This allows you to stay warm while saving valuable kilowatts for your driving range.

3. Smooth out your highway speed

In winter, the air has a higher density, which means your car has to work harder to push through it. This increased resistance has a bigger impact on your range during the colder months than it does in the summer. Dropping your highway speed slightly, for example from 120 km/h to 100 km/h, can make a massive difference in your consumption. On longer stretches between cities like Amsterdam, Brussels, or Luxembourg, this adjustment significantly reduces the strain on your battery .

4. Smart charging: timing is everything

Batteries and cold weather are not a natural match. You may have noticed that your smartphone battery drains faster in the cold, and electric vehicles work in a similar way. A freezing battery charges slower because the internal resistance is higher, making timing crucial for peak performance. Try to charge immediately after finishing a trip while the battery is still at an optimal operating temperature. Through our platform, you can easily find chargers in parking garages where the ambient temperature is often slightly higher, which can noticeably speed up your charging time.

5. Manage road resistance

Winter conditions often create extra mechanical resistance that is easily overlooked. It is important to check your tire pressure regularly, as cold air causes the pressure to drop, which in turn increases resistance on the road. Additionally, keeping the exterior of the car clear of heavy ice or snow buildup helps maintain your vehicle’s efficiency. A streamlined vehicle simply requires less energy to move forward.

6. Real-time confidence

Unpredictability is the greatest enemy of an efficient winter journey. Use the Road app to check the live status of charging stations before you arrive. We provide the transparency you need to see if a station is active and available, ensuring you do not have to wait around in the cold. Knowing exactly where your next reliable top-up is located remains the most effective way to eliminate range anxiety.

Efficiency as standard

We make the transition to electric driving transparent, regardless of the weather forecast. By managing your thermal energy consciously and leveraging real-time data, you can drive with total confidence this winter.

Ready for your next journey? Check our map for the nearest chargers.