How much does cold weather affect the performance of hybrid cars?

Question: How much does cold weather affect the performance of hybrid cars?

Answer: Gas-electric hybrid cars are designed to operate in the same temperature ranges as conventional cars, so cold temperatures, even sub-zero temperatures, should not adversely affect their performance.
You may experience a decrease in fuel economy and notice that it takes slightly longer for the internal combustion engine and the vehicle’s heater to come up to optimal operating temperature. But that’s true also of conventional gas-engine vehicles in cold weather.

Cold temperatures – we’re talking below 20 degrees F – diminish the efficiency of all vehicles. The effect ease as the vehicle reaches optimal operating temperature.

In the case of a hybrid that can run on gas, battery power, or a combination of both – like the Toyota Prius or Ford Fusion Hybrid – cold conditions may mean the internal combustion engine will run more often to keep the defroster and heater going and the catalytic converter warm. So the fuel-savings of relying exclusively on the electric motor will be reduced. The drop in fuel economy should parallel what you’d experience with a non-hybrid car, maybe 10 percent.

Honda uses a different hybrid system, called Integrated Motor Assist, in which the electric motor basically acts as a power booster for the gas engine rather than as a source of independent propulsion. Honda says Integrated Motor Assist is designed to operate down to minus 22 degrees F.

As for driveability, I’ve heard no reports of cold temperatures causing hybrids any unusual problems with starting, smooth running, or reliability.

Regards,
Chuck Giametta
Managing Editor, Iguida.com