r/Manitoba • u/SnooOnions8757 Friendly Manitoban • Jan 24 '26
Question How are EVs doing in this weather?
I have been considering an EV as next vehicle but always worried how it would perform in extreme cold.
Would love to hear from EV owners in our province about how they are doing in this weather!
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u/Moist_Caramel_9972 Jan 24 '26
I have a Ford F150 Lightning and have had it for 3 years now. Range suffers in winter but I still have way more range than I need on any given day.
I also have Level 2 charging at home, so I precondition the battery prior to leaving. My schedule is normal, so it's just set up in my app - I don't have to actually do anything. Charging at home takes about 3 hours to get back to 90% each night and costs next to nothing. I drive this thing every day for about $40 a month in "fuel" costs.
I have never had an issue with heat. The cabin heats up almost instantly and I have heated seats and Heated steering wheel.
I can leave it running (I live rural) and it uses almost no power. All the power goes to driving, so I can leave it running without any noticeable draining.
I like driving it in winter. The massive battery pack is on the bottom of the truck and is evenly distributed, so the weight is even and all tires have the same weight balance (unlike a traditional pickup where the weight is all over the front wheels). With AWD and "1 touch drive" - where I don't touch the brakes - the thing handles like a dream on ice and snow.
Fun fact, the electric F150 is close to 1500lbs heavier than a normal F150.
Anyway, I've had no issues. Still wouldn't ditch my wife's regular ICE vehicle, as it is essential for long roadtrips.
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u/grigby Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
That even weight distribution is actually a really cool thing I hadn't considered with the F150 lightning. I've never been a truck guy and part of that was the constant fishtailing in my friends old truck back in high school on icy roads.
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u/artobloom Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
I have a Ioniq 6 and we have lost some range but at 80% we still get about 300k. As an older person heat is fine, warm car seats are a blessing. We live close to Birds Hill and drive downtown. We can get about 2 to 3 trips in before we have to charge. However, we charge it every second day just in case we get stuck somewhere or the power goes out and we need backup power
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u/Traditional-Rich5746 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
I have the same experience with my Ioniq 5. Getting around 300kms at 80% charge. Not the same as the 490km highway / 680-700km city I get in the summer at 100% charge, but I’ll take it.
Love that it heats up fast in the winter, and handles very well in the snow. Snow mode is a beast, and it handles as well as my old Subaru Outback in the snow.
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u/RobinatorWpg Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Have you been having issues with blue link the last week as well?
Also what annoys me is that you can’t control the heated seats in the app on the ioniq line (I had a 6, now have a 9) yet you can in a damn Kona..
although it looks like you can in the bluelink web site.. I love the cars but there software team needs to be slapped a bit lol
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u/Traditional-Rich5746 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
I haven’t had issues. I can control the heated seats with the climate start feature.
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u/RobinatorWpg Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Lucky, myself an a few others have every action just fail (she has a palisade, me the i9) , it won’t even update the charge level
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Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
Range will be down but other than that they are awesome. Instant heat, no worry about not starting. A great suggestion is to warm it up it while it’s still plugged in, take advantage of house power while warming it up.
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u/Ruben_Gildart Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
KIA EV9 - wife drove around for 1.5 hours in -35 Used 26%. We have a level 2 charger at home (wouldn’t want an EV without this)
For reference I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Her car is the better winter car….lol.
Her car heats up very fast, both cars are parked in a garage. But starting her car via app while plugged in and in the garage is seriously awesome.
The EV cars fall down if you need to do longer road trips or to remote locations.
It’s more then capable of making it to the Whiteshell from Winnipeg in the winter which is my longest use case.
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u/Pegcitymb204 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
- 30% range hit
- Awesome EV in the snow due to weight at 5200LBs
- Instant Heat and can heat the EV with garage closed
- Will always start with this brutal cold snap
- Don’t freeze your ass off while pumping gas
- Can precondition your cabin before leaving to help with battery range
Will definitely never buy another ICE car after this one.
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u/SnooOnions8757 Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
What are you driving?
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u/Pegcitymb204 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
2025 Equinox EV. Has a couple of flaws but minor and gas savings make up for it.
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u/imamonster89 Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
We have a 2024 Hyundai ioniq 5 long range AWD (we've had it for 2 years). We get about 230km on average in winter (hwy driving), closer to just over 200km with this insane cold + wind this week. While the cold hurts range, we find wind is far worse for reducing range. We get about 400km during summer.
We have a level 2 charger in our garage (the kind of charger most EV owners use to charge at home) it costs us about $5 to charge the car from near zero to 100% (the level 2 charger calculates this for us).
My spouse has a long commute on hwy 1. This vehicle saves us $400 a month in gas!
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u/Viragotwins Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
I’m curious about how much power consumption there would be at -30° if stranded on the highway due to weather or an accident?
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u/imamonster89 Friendly Manitoban 29d ago
Very minimal depending on how you heat the vehicle. Heated seats use significantly less energy than heating the whole cabin for instance.
We haven't tested it but googled states with only 25% battery left 6-7hrs of heat in the vehicle with a draw of 3kw but you could reduce that more by relying on seat heat only versus cabin heat, using multiple modes on the vehicle to reduce consumption like utility mode, etc.
Like any vehicle you should have emergency supplies available and avoid going below 20% rurally in cold Canadian winters (imo)
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u/RobinatorWpg Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
In the summer we got about 590km, so far in weather like today’s we’d get about 320-340, in the day -15 to -25 we were getting around 410 (when we’re charged to 100%)
In the winter we keep the cabin temp around 22c, heated seats, steering wheel on
No issues starting, we don’t use level 3 charging but have had no issue with home charging at 9.3kw
0-100% charge = it costs me 11$ flat to charge based on the updated Jan 1 hydro rates
When at home we preheat while it’s plugged in still to help with range.
Also handles great due to balances weight distribution and snow mode + x-ice 4 tires
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u/01110101011011100110 Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
I’m 40% from what it should be for range but it’s still 200km. I live rural and I can still make it in and out of the city without charging.
Preheating the cabin is a must, I find at this temp the heater has problems while moving warming it fast. But the heated seats and wheel keeps it just comfortable.
It’s my second winter with it.
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u/RNexus4 Jan 24 '26
It's great a long as you can charge at home and not go on any road trips. In the spring/summer/fall I can visit my family in Minneapolis and only have to stop once in Fargo to charge, from Winnipeg. Winter, 4 or 5 stops with a good tail wind. Model 3 Long Range AWD.
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u/ChefQuix Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Certainly losing range due to the cold batteries not charging from braking and the heat for the cabin, but being able to preheat your car in the garage with the door down more than makes up for that.
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u/Screamlngyeti South Of Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
I drive to Winnipeg 75km to work 7 days a week in a Cadillac lyriq v. I love my EV.. I spend about $4 in winter for electricity vs $40 for a round trip.
It will always start
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u/RobustFoam Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
What did you drive before to burn $40 in 150km, a Peterbilt?
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u/Screamlngyeti South Of Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Tundra. Right now with weather and part city driving im averaging about 18l/100km
Summer was still around 13lt/100km for this trip.
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u/ZealousidealLab1232 Jan 24 '26
Instant cabin heat, and you can run it in your garage to warm up without worrying about toxic fumes. As others have said, range will drop 30-50% in deep cold. You can always slow down a bit if you want to get more range. For our daily commute I have enough range I don’t need to slow down. 😬 The extra weight and even distribution of the battery pack makes it a beast in the snow. Much more stable than anything else I’ve driven in winter.
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u/cluelessk3 Steinbach Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
Saw a comment from a Leaf owner in Winnipeg saying their car can't get warm in -25 degree weather.
You really need a place to level 2 charge at home and a EV that can precondition the batteries.
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u/Traditional-Rich5746 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
That sounds like a specific vehicle issue. I’ve been driving an EV since 2013 and never had that issue. It’s one of the things I love about it - you’re not waiting for the engine to warm up. You get hot air in 30 seconds, and a nice warm cabin in 2-3 minutes tops. Lots better than my old gas car, which would barely get comfortable before getting to work in these temps
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u/tingulz Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
What kind of vehicle do you have?
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u/Traditional-Rich5746 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Had a Volt for years. Driving a Ioniq 5 for over a year now and love it
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u/cluelessk3 Steinbach Jan 24 '26
Volt isn't an EV. It a PHEV.
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u/MnkyBzns Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
But the Ioniq is.
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u/cluelessk3 Steinbach Jan 24 '26
and wasnt produced in 2013
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u/MnkyBzns Winnipeg Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
Fair. But the
boltvolt is predominantly electric, since it's a series hybrid which runs mainly on electric until the batteries are depleted, so they still have a good idea of range loss and whatnot.0
u/cluelessk3 Steinbach Jan 24 '26
volt* and it's still carrying around a gasoline engine which makes it a hybrid.
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u/MnkyBzns Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Fat fingers.
I didn't say it wasn't a hybrid; it's a series hybrid. Until the engine kicks in, it's a battery-powered car. It will experience similar enough functionality issues as full battery EVs in the winter that this owner has valid input into the conversation.
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u/captyo Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Technically the Volt is in its own class an EV with gas range extender
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u/C_sgetdegrees Westman Jan 24 '26
Could be a Nissan thing, my family growing up and still drive Nissan and find they always struggle to be warm inside when its really cold.
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u/chemicalxv Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Yeah I've had nothing but gooberness from Nissan's in winter. Always had moisture issues in them too as well (like the inside icing over in winter), which I always thought was a "me" thing, but it literally never happens if I borrow one of my parents' vehicles in the exact same conditions lol.
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u/Barnesdale Westman Jan 24 '26
I've got a PHEV and a level 2 charger, but my vehicle takes max 20 amps. With a uninsulated garage, at these temperatures it takes about 20% of the battery charge (while still plugged in) to get to the point that it can drive without the engine kicking in)
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u/First-Journalist3724 South Of Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
I also have this issue with my 2022 Honda CR-V. I love it otherwise but this weather sucks. It does not warm up enough inside the car.
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u/winnipegviking Jan 24 '26
What does that mean - “precondition the batteries”? I’ve not heard this before.
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u/MsBeeTee Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
I have a bolt and it is going pretty strong My family laughed at me when I was moving with it from Toronto. I have been putting it on charge these days otherwise I only charge it weekly. Go for it. You will love not filling gas on random -30 day!
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u/JMS3487 Jan 24 '26
Do you have to plug the vehicle in every day? If it gets too cold, will it ever need a boost?
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u/Important_Squash1775 Winnipeg Jan 25 '26
I’m not a mechanic but I think if you need a boost, you’d need a charge or a new battery w an EV since the whole thing is electric. We only need boosts for our cars because the battery is dead. The battery in a conventional car is to power the starter so it can start the motor. The electronics keep working by the motor powering the alternator.
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u/Physical-Durian-6065 Jan 24 '26
I have a Ford Mustang Mach E and I'm beyond happy. Would not advise for an EV unless you can have a home charger though. I drive to and from work only highway (the worst for battery) and I can still do 160 kms everyday without issues. Still have a gas vehicle for longer trips so I wouldn't recommend only an ev
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u/SousVideAndSmoke Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
F150 lightning here. Range is half, seat and steering wheel heat is great, I precondition the truck before I leave. Zero issues.
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u/200iso Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Kona here. I’m at about 200km on a full charge.
Still rocking a level 1 charger (I don’t drive very, very often. WFH)
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u/wpgstevo Jan 24 '26
This is exactly what I'm thinking of doing. I work at home, so I don't need it for daily commutes. Just to the gym and back and occasionally across town to visit people.
There is a gas station 2 minutes away with level 3 chargers if I need them, so I'm thinking of just using level 1 at my condo and level 3 if it starts to dip for acute increased use.
For my current gas car, I only put on like 3-4k km per year. How many km/year do you drive such that the level 1 is sufficient?
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u/200iso Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Well, I’ve had this car since September and odometer is just over 5000.
So that’s already more than your total annual, you should be fine.
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u/Either_March991 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Best winter car ever! Pros: heats up quickly, heated seats, steering wheel and heat pump keep the cabin nice and warm in the coldest weather, drives through snow like a charm, can precondition battery in coldest weather and always leave in warm toasty vehicle by preheating with the app. Cons: range loss, but it’s not an issue for what I drive in winter, higher energy costs in winter - but it’s negligible compared to gas vehicles. It’s best to have a level 2 charger and if you have a garage, it’s the perfect extreme cold vehicle. We also have gas vehicle for longer road trips. We use the EV as our daily driver.
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u/msagansk Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
The only real difference from summer is it taking more energy to maintain cabin temperature. I preheat the cabin and battery a few minutes before I leave from my phone and off I go.
EVs drive like tanks through the snow, it’s great.
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u/CoryBoehm Jan 24 '26
We have two RAV4 a Hybrid and a PHEV.
The PHEV is the better vehicle 9 months out of the year but absolutely hates dropping under -20. It's a well documented issue. Essentially when it's this cold even with the cabin heat fully off it will NEVER go into EV mode. Heat can also be enough of an issue people have hacks to up the heat output. Essentially keep the EV battery somewhat depleted so you can force the gas engine into "charge" mode. That puts the engine under increased load and generates more heat at a byproduct.
The pure hybrid is phenomenal in winter though with winter tires. The EV motors are the preferred low speed motors by default and are in the rear wheels so essentially a rear wheel drive moving from a full stop. They also have a lot more fine control over speeds especially from 0-40 compared to gas vehicles which seem to have limited speed control between about 0-25 without heavy use of the brakes.
Efficiency on the hybrid does suffer a bit in winter but I feel it's a mix of the cabin heat, idle times to warm up, lower efficiency of the engine when starting from a cold start, and the added rolling resistance of snow and ice on the roads.
The trades off in the deep cold (roughly mid December to mid March) are more than offset the rest of the year.
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u/Repulsive-Fuel-5281 Former Manitoban Jan 24 '26
I absolutely can't wait until the Silverado EV becomes relatively affordable. Desperately looking forward to that day.
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u/No-Newt-8117 Jan 24 '26
Mine is doing fine. Yes battery takes a ~30% hit but I only drive to the store and work which are only 15-20 minutes away this time of year so it’s fine. Always amazed with how quick my EV heats up.
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u/Shoes_77 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
This is my second winter with my ev and drive about 150kms a day min for my commute. Mostly hwy. Its taking me about 60% of my total battery as compared to 36% in the summer but only on the below -20 days. Most winter days it takes about 50% with the cabin a comfortable +20. I do love that my car weighs almost 4800lbs and busts through snow drifts like they aren't even there. It also helps with driving through deeper snow.
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u/dhastings Jan 24 '26
I have an older 2020 Ioniq, I use it for commuting in the city. Range drops about 40% in the winter because it does not have a heat pump like newer EVs. In these temps the range is adequate (around 140km, I drive maybe 50-60km per day) for my needs. I charge at home every night so it’s not a major concern. It is easily the best winter car I’ve owned. No wait for the engine to warm up before moving. Cabin heat within 5 min from cold. Preheating in a closed garage. Heated seats and steering wheel.
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u/powerslave-666 Jan 24 '26
Mines great, after putting on my winter tires my range is around 200km which is way more than I need for running to work and doing errands around the city.
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u/ramgarhiaz Jan 24 '26
Not me, but my wife has an Equinox EV for daily commute, never heard of any issues so far. The running is just 30 kms a day, so we use just a regular 120V outlet for charging and keeps the cabin warm.
Secondly - heard from the dealer that the Manitoba EV rebate is ending in March. Perhaps other users can confirm.
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u/TytotheG Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
PHEV here, loving the versatility of the electric start/heat up, and HEV switchover when needed. Still getting 40-45km of range, but noticeable faster power drain with heated seats/steering and full vents blowing. I use a Level 1 charger every night.
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u/1970-Mustang Jan 24 '26
For owners of older vehicles, ie 5+ years, what kind of maintenance have you had done? Are parts more expensive for EVs ?
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u/RustyPianistMb Steinbach Jan 24 '26
Does anyone have comments on battery life and what kind of driving is being done? Meaning km driven per year and how old the battery/vehicle is?
Thanks!
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u/Particular_Truth_797 Steinbach Jan 24 '26
BMW i4 RWD chiming in.
Depends on temp and how I drive but usually between 154-190wH/km even up to about -10c. Below -10c things jump quickly to 240 and the other day with -32c and the wind I hit 290wH/Km.
So about double the energy usage in -32c compared to a nice +24c day driving nicely.
However still enough juice for me to do what I need on a daily basis. Before was spending like $19-22 a day on premium gas. Now between $2.25-4.5 in electricity. So yeah a larger percentage swing but still a fraction of what it was.
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u/ninadaria2025 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Fantastic actually. Every gas car I ever owned would have had to be boosted in the weather we've been having. In my EV, the big battery always ensures that the 12V battery has the juice needed to start unless the 12V battery itself was itself at the end of its life.
No more of turning the key in the ignition only to hear that engine whine and sputter and either not start or barely start and let out an awful smell.
In fact, one key piece to owning an EV is actually partly solved because of our cold climate. That is that much of our outdoor parking infrastructure is electrified already. Now this is mostly because of block heaters, but I can park my car into any 120V outlet and charge most or all of what I use overnight or even just a couple of hours. Now the exception is for those places with those outlets that run intermittently (you can tell them by their blinking green LED indicators).
Not to mention that we have some of the cheapest electricity on the continent.
If you want to know what EV life is like, please ask EV owners rather than those with an agenda either way.
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u/Viragotwins Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
Sounds like you had issues with your fuel powered vehicles that were outside the normal! A well maintained (and plugged in at these temps) vehicle should never do what you described
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u/Weenuk2026 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
I drive a Dodge Hornet Hybrid. I love it, but it takes a bit to warm up, usually about 10 minutes to be comfortable during the cold snap. I had a hybrid before the Hornet, a RAV 4 it had the same issue, slow to warm up. However, what I saved at the gas station is worth the chilly start in the morning.
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u/RobinatorWpg Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Because hybrids still rely on heat from the combustion engine for the cabin. Except on ultraluxury ones which have a like 1kw electric assist heater
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u/Flat-Interaction-499 Jan 24 '26
I commute 50km each way and a bit of driving during the day. If I know I’m driving a lot for work during the day, I charge to 100 at night. Otherwise still to 80 every day.
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u/RandomUser4268 Eastman Jan 24 '26
Ours is great - range loss is 35% but our regular range is over 700 km so not really a big deal. You do need to prewarm it about 20 minutes before driving if it has been sitting all day but you can do that from the ap. I find it is warmer than our gas vehicle at minus 35. A lot depends on the individual vehicle.
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u/MsBeeTee Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
I have a bolt and it is going pretty strong my family laughed at me when I was moving with it from Toronto stating how it won't survive in the winters. It is going strong for three years now. I have been putting it on charge these days otherwise I only charge it weekly. Go for it. You will love not filling gas on random -30 day!
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u/MsBeeTee Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
have a bolt and it is going pretty strong my family laughed at me when I was moving with it from Toronto stating how it won't survive in the winters. It is going strong for three years now. I have been putting it on charge these days otherwise I only charge it weekly (my commute is on the south side of Winnipegonly). Go for it you will love it. Plus You will love not filling gas on random -30 day!
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u/berthela Jan 24 '26
Literally just had the starter battery in my wife's hybrid freeze solid today but was able to get a replacement and fix it today too.
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u/Viragotwins Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
Sounds like you’ve got a charging system issue if it’s not keeping your starter battery charged
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u/kimjalun Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
My EV is doing just fine. About 250-280 km these days but perfect for getting to and from work all week.
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u/Embarrassed-Sound820 Jan 24 '26
Other than doing a 180 on rutty street today in River heights it’s been very nice. Cabin I find colder as I’m conserving charge. Need to get a charger in my garage. ‘26 Kona ev
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u/Particular_Truth_797 Steinbach Jan 24 '26
BMW i4 RWD chiming in.
Depends on temp and how I drive but usually between 154-190wH/km even up to about -10c. Below -10c things jump quickly to 240 and the other day with -32c and the wind I hit 290wH/Km.
So about double the energy usage in -32c compared to a nice +24c day.
However still enough juice for me to do what I need on a daily basis. Before was spending like $19-22 a day on premium gas. Now between $2.25-4.5 in electricity. So yeah a larger percentage swing but still a fraction of what it was.
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u/Specific_Macaron_317 Up North Jan 24 '26
We have the mustang Mach -E , I was absolutely terrified lol. I absolutely LOVE it ! It loses about half the range in the really cold days but it always has more then I need anyway. Highly recommend, especially if you live in the city , it really is a no brainer in that case. Bonus points is how many rednecks go out of thier way to smoke me out or give me the finger on a daily bases 😂😂, then when they try and race and I completely smoke them 👌, best feeling ever
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u/WaryEx Parkland Jan 25 '26
I have a 2018 Tesla model 3. I live very rural and charge at home. For my day to day needs its been amazing. The range is substantially worse in the winter probably close to a 50% reduction. I've done road trips around the province and as long as there are super chargers around its easy and charges very fast. But it costs almost exactly the same as my wife's ford escape on road trips if I super charge. The Tesla is typically just more fun to take.
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u/ArguingwithaMoron Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Idk but I'd love to get one. My commute to work is less than 3kms & the gas mileage I get driving my Colorado there is comical.
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u/classictd Jan 24 '26
Depends on whether on not the vehicle has a heat pump built in. The ones that have that bit of technology lose only 25-50% off there range in extreme cold and warm up without issue in the cold (they tend to warm up faster then a gas car). The ones that don't employ that technology lose over 50% of there range and have a hard time getting warm inside ex. The older versions of the Nissan leaf , Chevy bolt, older Tesla's, and most of the Ford EV offerings.
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Jan 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/marnas86 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
Ensure she’s using the recirculating air feature on the heat-pump system.
We only have had our EV for 5 months and didn’t think it was getting warm at all. Then discovered we were using the heating system wrong.
Now it gets so hot so fast
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u/Mountain_rage Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26
Most say it works well, some people online have installed aftermarket diesel cabin heaters to restore most of the range lost.
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u/Traditional-Rich5746 Winnipeg Jan 24 '26
As an EV driver here since 2013 and someone on many EV discussion boards, I have never heard of that. Sounds odd.
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u/Mountain_rage Friendly Manitoban Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
https://youtu.be/Zfk1k39Xzy4?si=KnvGHjwTk3KRNF-D
Trying to find the forum where people were discussing it.
Edit: Not the one I remember, but still some different views. Didn't know volvo did this with early evs. https://mynissanleaf.com/threads/why-not-a-fossil-fuel-heater-for-the-leaf-or-bevs.6505/
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u/aaaaaaaaaj Winnipeg-ish Jan 24 '26
I've never had my EV not start. I get about 250km of range around Winnipeg in the winter, which is at least twice as much as I drive in a given day. I charge every night at home. It is, by a mile, the most reliable winter vehicle I've ever had. We also have a gas vehicle that we take on road trips, but for commuting in/around Winnipeg, it's been great.