Multiple brands are switching from the current standard, nickel cobalt manganese (NCM), to a cheaper, more abundant version, known as lithium iron phosphate (LFP)—primarily on their cheaper vehicles.

Sub-par performance in cold weather is a known EV issue, even with LCM batteries that power the majority of EVs today. Multiple lawsuits claim brands like Tesla(Opens in a new window) and BMW(Opens in a new window) overstate vehicle range given they are simply not achievable in cold temperatures. In PCMag’s own testing of a brand-new Tesla this winter in Chicago, the vehicle got half the advertised range.

“On average EVs lose about 40% of their range in cold temperatures,” says Greg Bannon, director of automotive research at AAA, which published a detailed study(Opens in a new window) on the topic. “You can find yourself in a situation where you thought you could get to where you’re going, but then your range is as much as 50-60% less than advertised. So yeah, it’s a real issue for people in cold climates and we’ve shouted it from the rooftops.”

Carmakers Are Switching to Cheaper EV Batteries, But There’s a Big Trade-Off | PCMag