The Season of Efficiency: Why Driving Range Increases in Spring

When the weather gets warmer, many EV drivers refer to it as the “season of efficiency.” In fact, there are two primary reasons why the driving range tends to increase during this time.

First, as many already know, in winter, energy is consumed to maintain cabin temperature and warm up the battery. This heating process uses a significant amount of energy, which in turn reduces energy efficiency (often referred to as “electric mileage”).

Second, the usable battery capacity varies depending on temperature. As shown in the voltage curve below, the discharge characteristics differ significantly between warm conditions (red line) and cold conditions (black line).

At low temperatures, internal resistance within the battery cells increases, causing the battery to reach its cut-off voltage more quickly under the same load. As a result, the amount of usable energy decreases, which reduces the actual driving range.

This phenomenon is a completely different mechanism from capacity loss caused by battery degradation. However, from the user’s perspective, it results in a noticeable change in driving distance and thus carries significant meaning. That said, manufacturers often choose not to display real-time capacity changes due to temperature fluctuations directly to users, in order to prevent confusion.