Whilst EV’s provide effortless power, cheaper running costs and a quiet ride, they all have one fundamental issue.

Now, let’s first talk about the real benefits that these cars can have. Benefits such as insane power that can be had in a relatively sedate saloon, cars such as the Tesla Model S Plaid packing 1006bhp – in a 4 door family car! This is a car that is capable of taking the whole family to dinner, and making them bring it back up on the way home; thanks in part to a sub 2 second 0-60mph time.

Tesla Model S Plaid

Then there are the cheaper running costs associated with running them (however, recently, this is proving less of an advantage), owners typically charge their cars overnight on the cheaper tariffs. Public charging is a different story, with those costs spiraling and in some cases, costing more than filling a petrol or diesel car. But this still isn’t the real issue, well, not fully.

And there is the quiet approach that they have, with no lumpy internal combustion engine and transmission to contend with, EV’s a smooth and exceptionally quiet – something all the luxury marques have been trying to refine for decades. And whilst people keep banging on about not being able to hear them (even though road and wind noise is a thing), this neither is the issue.

So what is it then?

It’s actually more simpler than that, the biggest issue EV’s face is the weather – more specifically, the cold. We all know that the manufacturer claimed range is generous at best, but this is significantly reduced in colder weather.

A lot of the time, a cold battery can be reduced by up to 50%, particularly if the battery is relatively small and doesn’t have pre-conditioning. On a smaller battery this can be a real issue, on something like the Mini Electric which has an apparent range of just 145 miles. Taking that figure literally means that you could be dealt with just a near 73 mile range – hardly worth venturing anywhere.

On a plug-in hybrid, it’s even worse. Cars such as the Mercedes C350e barely manage 6 miles on all-electric in cold weather, but in the summer would double that.

What’s the answer?

It’s a tough one, having larger capacity batteries would help solve the issue, provided the cold weather range is 300+ miles. However, a larger battery using current technology would be much heavier, thus, would add weight and reduce the range.

Battery preconditioning would be hugely beneficial, if you can use an external power source. But then that requires more electricity and in turn, will stack up on your energy bill.

It’s a debate that will rage on for years to come, until ICE cars are completely phased out, but are they really the answer just yet?