It’s no secret that EVs tend to exhibit reduced range in colder weather. However, some EVs are better equipped to handle the winter months than others, mitigating the effects with features like heat pumps to keep things comfortable. But although the Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Lyriq both offer heat pumps, recent testing shows that cold-weather efficiency for these two GM models trails behind the competition.
In a recent report, Recurrent published cold-weather testing results for more than 20 new EV models. Notably, the Chevy Equinox EV retained just 74 percent of its normal range in winter conditions, while the Cadillac Lyriq fared slightly worse at 72 percent. By comparison, leading EVs like the Tesla Model X, Tesla Model S, and Audi e-tron retained 89, 88, and 87 percent of their respective ranges under similar conditions.
The results are surprising given that both GM models were equipped with heat pumps, a feature typically expected to improve cold-weather performance. Heat pumps work by extracting ambient heat from the outside air to warm the cabin, theoretically reducing the burden on the high-voltage battery. Even so, Equinox EV and Lyriq owners report significant range losses during winter drives.
Cold weather typically affects EV range in two ways. First, cabin heating systems are energy-intensive, drawing power directly from the battery, as EVs lack the waste heat generated by internal combustion engines. Second, lithium-ion batteries experience slower chemical reactions in low temperatures, further reducing efficiency.
Despite onboard features like an active heat pump, the Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Lyriq are placed near the bottom of the list when it comes to cold-weather energy efficiency. In fact, in Recurrent testing, these GM models were the two worst performers among models equipped with a heat pump.
Recurrent also points to firsthand experiences from owners, who have taken to social media to vent their frustration over range loss in the Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Lyriq in cold weather conditions. Recurrent states that it is currently researching the reason behind the poor results.
Comments
My 2024 LYRIQ AWD hasn’t suffered too much in NE PA / HV NY. I drive it ~ 110 miles round trip. In warm weather I only charge it once every 3 days (DC fast charge to 95%).
In the winter, I’ve been charging daily (DC fast charge to 80%… reduced it to lower the stress on the battery since I’m using DC daily). I also plug it in at night when I return home (I don’t need it for range but I like the car to be plugged in while I remote-start it in the morning for 30+ min while I get ready… better to use grid power for that and I hear it also allows the battery to stay warmer when the car is OFF even if it’s not pulling charge).
So… I know none of that is scientific BUT considering the fact that I’ve lowered the state-of-charge to 80% AND I remote-start ALL of the time, by displayed range dropped from 324ish MAX to ~ 286… about a 12% drop. I wouldn’t expect it to be any better when It’s constantly 20F out. BTW, my LYRIQ is not garaged. The garage is for the sleeping Camaro SS 1LE 🙂
Does the Lyriq let you set that maximum level of charge? I know Teslas let you do that and my Galaxy S22 does too (though it only gives you the option of maxing out at 80%).
Yes it does. They suggest using 80% except for when you need more for longer trips. But you can set it to whatever you want. They also offer scheduled start up so it basically remote starts it on whatever schedule you want so the cabin will be either warmed or cooled depending on the outside temp. This also will warn or cool the battery pack so that it will operate more efficiently when you get in to actually drive.
Not to mention some non Winter friendly design features light ressessed headlamps, door handles and the cheapest wiper blades that you can’t replace!
Hey Jonathan, now you working on a story that talks about how much range ICE loses in the cold? I’m easily seeing a 15-20% reduction in mileage.
Quite similar. And it sucks sitting at the gas station in the cold temps.
About 1 mpg in the Winter months with temps in the 15 to 25 degree range with my past 3 Impalas using both the 2.5 and 3.6 DI engines. That translates to about 20 miles of range lost. And during the really cold days which is about 3-4 during the entire Winter for me I visit one of several full service stations so never get out of my vehicle. One can make excuses or invent hardships for both gas and EV ownership
Yes, it does suck sitting at the gas station for 6 or 7 minutes at cold temps for a fill up to 100%. So how does it not suck to sit at a charging station for a longer period at cold temps for a fill to 80%?
Because it sucks I have to get out of my car in the cold to fill it with gas while in my garage I dont have to spend more than 15 seconds plugging it in.
1963: Your statement is true for a person who has access to home charging, which is not available to all. For everyone else, it’s the joy of public charging, which is what I was referring to.
I’m not an anti EV person, but I am against Government mandates when it forces people into a vehicle they would never purchase given a choice.
I think Tesla’s lead is due to constant improvements of their vehicles.
As far as I know, recent Tesla cars are using improved heat pumps v2.0
I can attest to that with our Model Y, but THE BIGGEST issue for the Ultium BEV platforms is their weight. The Lyriq weighs 5,557 (RWD) to 5,961 lbs (AWD) vs the Model Y (95% the size of the Lyriq, but has 15 cubic feet of more cargo volume) at 4154 (RWD) to 4404 lbs (AWD). Inefficiencies are amplified in cold weather and an extra 1500 lbs hurts. The Equinox is 97% the size of the Model y (by exterior dimensions/ L,W) but weighs 4923 (RWD) to 5073 lbs (AWD), so even though it is smaller it can weigh up to 1/2 ton more. Hopefully, GM’s next gen BEV architecture sheds weight and gains efficiency. For perspective, a Toyota 4Runner weighs between 4,400 and 4,805 pounds, while an ICE Equinox weighs 3428 lbs.
Yeah. The ultium platform battery pack design is heavy. The battery packs themselves are made up of a handful of small battery packs. The extra weight of separating the multiple batteries packs with the extra metal and wiring/cooling etc probably easily adds a few hundred pounds to the equinox’s 85kwh battery. They went for a design that would make the batteries easier to service or replace without removing all of them. But it definitely has its negative drawbacks. I think GM is probably likely still tuning these EV’s for efficiency as well via software. A place where Tesla has an advantage.
Another contributing factor is the drag coefficient which is exaggerated in cold dense air and the Model Y is way more efficient at 0.22 vs the Lyriq or Equinox EV (.308). Cumulative inefficiencies add up. Consider a Silverado is around 0.38.
“Lyriq or Equinox EV (.308)”
I’m curious where you may have gotten this spec? Is it confirmed, or just an estimate/guess from some source. Thank you!
German U-Boats in World Wars I and II had the same problem with their batteries when forced to stay submerged in the cold North Atlantic. After all these years it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that batteries don’t do well in cold weather. That’s why I have a Hemi and won’t buy an electric car.
That was 80 years ago, I’m sure battery tech has improved since then. My Equinox may have lost a little range, but it’s not noticeable, charge at home every night anyway so it’s not a big deal.
My 24 Terrain does a 5/6 minute remote start in Columbus 6 degree surface park and it’s ready to go. With the heater running nice and warm I have a 10% drop in mileage and range at most. Btw, NO recommendations in the manual to fill the tank to ONLY 80% .
Have a nice day, flakes .
And what do you do if your ancient and obsolete 12V lead acid battery is frozen? Do you hand crank that gasoline engine? Those who don’t believe in electric power should have their battery and starter ripped out to remind them THEY DEPEND ON ELECTRIC POWER ALWAYS!
Okay, Greta .
Your hands are probably too small to use the plug on electric vehicles, better stick with gasoline.
Anyone who “warms up” their vehicle in colder weather would fit the dictionary definition of a “snowflake” very well. I prefer the term “Jam Tart” for soft folks like you who need to warm up their cars.
I wonder how many of these complainers know all the features of the car and are not driving it the most efficiently? Probably all based on forum comments especially on FB.
I can fill my ICE with gas then park the vehicle for a week while on vacation or something) and have the same amount of gas. If you do the same with an EV (Charge to 100%, let vehicle sit unused for a week (while on vacation or something), you don’t have 100% charge after that week of sitting. It’s like volts disappearing in thin air. Now you need to re-charge with more electric to bring back to 100%. How efficient is that?
When automobiles were first introduced similar remarks were being made about them by people that used horses and horse drawn carriages! It took nearly 30 years before automobiles were widely excepted. It is no different for the transition that is being made from ICE vehicles to EV vehicles except for one very important fact, and that is if we all continue to drive ICE vehicles we will be causing the planet that we call home to undergo a change that all will regret, as some are finding out already. Sometimes in life we have to make choices that we may not particularly like, but are extremely necessary. Keep in mind that it was scientists and engineers that developed the ICE vehicle, and it is scientists and engineers that are developing the the EV vehicles. The ICE vehicle that you drive today is the culmination of 139 years of development, so it would be greatly appreciated if those of you that feel you have to be so negative would try to be more understanding, both for the sake of our planet and for those that believe that EV’s are the future, whether you like it or not. One last thought, those of you who are such nay-sayers, why not rent a EV for a while and find out what a pleasure they are to drive, in spite of their growing pains?
Sean,
I firmly believe the reason there is hostility today towards EVs is because our government and the current leadership in DC, who will be leaving shortly, has effectively mandated them and though executive orders is trying to force all car buyers into them. Prior to his assumption of the office, everyone was open to an EV and Tesla was selling plenty of them.
Today, due to the force coming from the Oval Office occupant, there is a counter push from the populace and many auto buyers have unnecessarily been turned off to EVs forever. It really didn’t have to be this way. EVs should’ve been offered and then let buyers decide for themselves without the heavy-handedness from government. I don’t think you would’ve seen this EV hate develop if a natural transition had been allowed.
Barra has done this too by initially insisting on “everybody in”. She created a lot of animosity towards GM by essentially telling car buyers she was taking away what they loved and they needed to accept it. She’s now backed off that somewhat. Her EV pickups don’t sell well at all because pickup buyers especially don’t like to be told what to do. I’m not sure she’ll ever be able to sell the 500,000 annual units of EV trucks that she planned to move.
The primary reason that the Biden administration took the route that they chose is that, if you believe in the scientists that say we are reaching the tipping point with regard to the the temperature that scientists say will result in catastrophic consequences for humans, we must act as a nation as we did when fighting WWII. All in! I do feel that President Biden did a very poor job of conveying this to the public.
President Biden had no “skin in the game”. On the other hand, compare that to the President-to-be who has resurrected the mantra “drill baby drill”. Don’t you think that all the oil companies are jumping for joy because all they care about are profits, damn what happens to the planet and the people in it! They have the very same attitude that the cigarette industry had, let the smokers go up in smoke! They, too, new from their very own scientists what the dire consequences of smoking were (are), but they chose to spread misinformation upon misinformation. May these evil men rot in hell for all the deaths that they caused. So be it for those in the oil industry who, out of shear greed, want to prolong gasoline slurping vehicles as long as they can. I can’t help but wonder, don’t they even care about their own children and grandchildren? Apparently, not. Shame on them!
Transitions are very hard to accept. Think of all those who were tied into the horse and buggy way of life: buggy makers, blacksmiths, leather goods, etc. Or think of all those that lost their jobs when the railroads switched from steam engines to diesels. It hasn’t been mentioned hardly at all, but think of all those who are needed to just assemble IC engines who will have to transition, hopefully to something which is as financially rewarding. Sorry to say, it’s a matter of either joining them, or being left in the dust.
The cold weather range and energy efficiency on our ’24 Lux 2 is abysmal and the DC fast charge rates are also poor. The range and energy efficient at interstate speeds is poor too. The Lyriq is a really nice car but we’ll be happy to turn ours in at the end of our lease and I’d never recommend one to anyone who doesn’t have a backup ICE car for winter use. It’s quite disappointing.
Sounds like you were a very poor candidate for an EV since you were either unaware of unwilling to make the adjustments needed for EV ownership. If you are a person who is obsessed with getting to their destination on long trips with infrequent short stops, EV’s and ICE vehicles with small gas tanks are not for you.
Conventional gasoline vehicles in general typically lose about 15% to 20% of their driving range in 20°F weather compared to normal temperatures
. For short trips of 3 to 4 miles, the range reduction can be as high as 24%
. This decrease in fuel economy is due to several factors, including:
1. Increased engine and transmission friction from cold fluids
2. Longer time for the engine to reach optimal temperature
3. Additional power consumption from heaters and defrosters
4. Denser cold air increasing aerodynamic drag
5. Decreased tire pressure in cold temperatures
6. Winter-grade gasoline having slightly less energy per gallon
I’m convinced EVERY vehicle loses “range” in the winter for various reasons mentioned including remote start (Zero MPG). In my ’23 Trailblazer, 90% of my driving is city driving. In the summer I average 500 km/tank. In the winter, I average 400 kms/tank. That’s a 20% loss in range!!! It’s just facts and no big deal. I just go to the gas station more frequently. I assume the same with any EV, just charge more often.
Fantastic analysis. I love it! So there you ICE people, take note of a beautiful diagnosis made for comparison sake. Even though some of the points which are mentioned also apply to EV’s, such as #3, 4, and 5, the analysis is very thoughtful, which typically isn’t the case in this forum.
I wonder if this experiment is repeatable? None of the explanations offered here or on other sites seem at all plausible when they try to explain why Ultium EV’s would lose more range in cold weather than other EV’s. Weight might be the most ridiculous one, since some other EV’s are equally heavy and weight would have just as big an impact at higher temperatures. I’m guessing it’s something with more resistance in the system than others at low temperature or cell chemistry if this is actually an accurate, repeatable phenomenon.
Nice, job!
I have a 2025 Equinox EV and although I live in California, it has been a cold winter. Been seeing a bit of range drop but not significant. Took it skiing a few weeks ago. Temps dropped to 10 degrees F and used the heat at 72 degrees for much of the trip. Average efficiency was 3.0 miles per kW. Not bad for a winter trip!
80%? Tested in the US only? Here in Canada, Alberta, it goes only half at -18. 2.4-2.6km/kWh on highway winter time. I’m sure it will be less than 40% efficiency below -20.