Do Electric Cars Work in the Snow?

I was speaking with a teacher, a customer of ours, a week or so back. We chatted about the agony facing our children in the current climate. No, no, not the fact they have to be homeschooled by parents; parents who struggle to understand basic grammar. (Just me? I do get someone else to proofread all my blogs…) Anyway, the most anticipated childhood event, the snow day, is ruined by lockdown! They can’t see their pals and school is technically still open anyway! It may be from your kitchen table via zoom, but still on! I was delivering a Volvo XC90 hybrid in the snow, picking up an Outlander. Both performed brilliantly! If you’re looking to go full electric though, do electric cars work in the snow?

Everyone Loves a Snow Day!

Well, when it comes to snow days, technology may ruin a child’s experience. However, it enhances the EV drivers’ experience, at least initially! This past weekend we had the most significant snow we’ve seen in a while. For most, that means scraping windscreens, what a drag. For me, an I-PACE driver, that means a challenging trial ahead. I must face the strenuous action of pushing 3 buttons on my smartphone from my bed, safe in the knowledge that in 10 minutes I can venture out in a toastie warm and defrosted car!

Most EV’s have this function, as indeed many have 4-wheel drive. At my house at the moment, I have my Jaguar I-PACE and a Tesla Model 3 Performance. So, I decided to test them out, see how great they really are in the snow. I had 2 short journeys to make. Don’t worry, they’re legal journeys! 8 miles to Lidl and 4 miles to the stables to sort the horses.

How Does the Tesla Perform in the Snow?

First up the Tesla. The Tesla has all-wheel drive but doesn’t come with any settings for snow, odd for such a technical car. I started the journey with 289-miles and a very toastie car. We got up our small hill with ease, it usually defeats BMW’s and Merc’s regularly. The Tesla coped better than I expected but it did have a few moments of unsure footing, a few small slides while turning. It never struggled for traction on the roads unlike many I passed. Turning onto other roads or into the Lidl car park was a little traumatic. We are very rural, and the snow was starting to get heavy, so turning back into our lane was tricky! I finished the 20-mile journey with under 200-miles, which suggests the California car was struggling a little in the -5C conditions. That said, it wasn’t as good as a traditional 4×4, but performed much better than a traditional saloon.

How Does the Jaguar I-Pace Perform in the Snow?

A couple of hours of snow later, I jumped into the IPACE. It has big tyres and a snow setting, so you would expect it to be slightly better. As it turned out, that expectation was some way off the mark. I started with 220-miles and took on another 8-mile drive, just for comparison. Due to the added layers of snow, passing some stranded cars, I had 208-miles left. The drive was, to be frank, unbelievable! Before I became a devout EV-head, I’d enjoyed a decade of Land Rover driving. I’ll admit, I was a little spoilt when snow fell. The imitation drive was a much more challenging trek than the shopping trip; small country lanes, steep hills, and rarely used roads with more snow than earlier. To the ponies’ delight, I made it with ease! Apart from one slight slip down one of the hills. Ponies fed and watered, I returned home toastie and safe. I passed our rural petrol station and smiled just a little as I saw someone filling up in the blizzard trying to avoid the snow. Hehe.