Does Cold Weather Drain Car Batteries. Cold doesnt kill batteries but it does increase internal resistance such that the amount of power that can be drawn from the battery is lower than when it is warm. In mild and cold climates a gasoline or diesel cars battery can last five to six years with proper maintenance and hybrid and electric car batteries can survive for up to eight years.
Therefore if youre going to drive in cold weather expect your vehicles range to reduce drastically. A fully charged battery in good condition is required to start an engine in cold weather. Cold batteries discharge faster than hot batteries.
Since cold conditions drain these batteries youll need to charge them more often.
Cold weather affects Tesla batteries and other EV batteries as well. Unfortunately charging them in low temperatures is not as effective as doing so under normal weather conditions because the ions that provide the charge do not move properly in the cold weather. The way you use your car during cold weather can also impact on the battery. Therefore if youre going to drive in cold weather expect your vehicles range to reduce drastically.
