Winter test pushes EV battery limits in frigid conditions

CAA conducted one of Canada’s first large-scale winter road tests of electric vehicles. As CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports, the cold is a killer for battery life.

The arctic chill of a Canadian winter can be brutal, especially on electric vehicles (EVs).

That’s why the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) put 14 of the country’s top-selling EVs through a real-world winter test, pushing them to their limits in sub-zero temperatures. The goal? To see just how far these vehicles can go on a single charge.

• PART 1: CAA puts electric vehicles to the test in Canadian winter

Setting out from downtown Ottawa, I took part in the challenge in a 2025 Kia EV6, which boasted a fully charged range of 366 kilometres, according to its computer, just enough for the 355-kilometre road trip to Mont Tremblant. But with the temperature at -10 C, and dropping as we headed north, EV specialist Alan Downward warned that cold weather, combined with heated seats, winter tires, and snowy roads, could take a serious toll on battery life.

And he was right.

Despite starting strong, our battery drained faster than expected. By our first stop in Grenville, Que., we were down to 59 per cent. By the next checkpoint, we had just 37 per cent remaining. As we closed in on Mont Tremblant, with 80 kilometres to go, our charge had dwindled to a worrying eight per cent.

That’s when the real test began.

At five per cent, power dropped noticeably. At one per cent, we were in ‘turtle mode’ - the EV equivalent of running on fumes. After reaching zero per cent, we managed to squeeze out an extra nine kilometres before finally rolling to a stop, 55 kilometres short of our destination.

We weren’t the only ones struggling. Other EVs in the test saw similar drops in range. A Toyota bZ4X EV died before us.

The results highlight a key issue: while EVs are improving, battery range remains a major concern for Canadian drivers, especially in winter.

Downward says advancements in battery technology and infrastructure will help, but for now, range anxiety is real.

For comparison, my colleague, fellow CTV News Ottawa reporter Dave Charbonneau, made the same trip in a gas-powered Chevy Equinox, completing the 530-kilometre round trip using three-quarters of a tank, or about $65 worth of fuel.

• Lack of chargers a top concern for EV owners, but most would still buy another: CAA

In the end, we didn’t make it, but this test wasn’t just about reaching Mont Tremblant, it was about understanding how EVs truly perform in winter and real-world Canadian metrics for consumers considering the switch.

Final results, of CAA’s Electric Vehicle Winter Drive Test, including full range loss data and performance comparisons between EV models, will be published next week.