Battery performance degradation during winter is a significant pain point for new energy vehicle (NEV) owners.
XINHUA
Battery performance degradation during winter is a significant pain point for new energy vehicle (NEV) owners. On December 25, the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd., based in Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, released the results of cold-weather performance tests conducted on nearly 20 mainstream NEV models. The results show that the performance of Chinese NEVs in cold environments has been improving year by year.
The cold-weather testing took place at the Wudalianchi Testing Base in Heilongjiang's Honghe Valley over a two-week period. Nearly 20 mainstream NEV models from several domestic automakers participated. These vehicles underwent rigorous evaluations across six categories and nine different driving conditions, including safety in snowy weather, backlighting safety, battery endurance, charging efficiency, and air conditioning and heating performance, in temperatures ranging from -15°C to -25°C.
Cold climates are a "litmus test" for the performance of smart, connected NEVs. The test results showed that, in an environment with an average temperature of -20°C, over 80% of the vehicles passed the battery endurance test, while 60% successfully passed the charging efficiency test—indicating relatively strong performance. Overall, compared to previous test data, NEVs' ability to perform in cold environments has shown consistent improvement.However, there are still areas for improvement. For example, the success rate for the air conditioning and heating test in -20°C conditions was only 50%. In complex weather conditions such as fog, backlighting, and snow, the success rate for smart vehicle safety-assist features was below 40%. A company spokesperson noted.