Video | What to Know when Driving EVs in the Winter

In this review, Ciminillo plans to drive from Chicago to Milwaukee with a 100% charged Mustang Mach-e.

This test drive reveals what's needed for small or big road trips in the winter and how to gain some "EV freedom."

This 17-minute Ford Mach-e Mustang video review dives into EV winter driving and reveals that electric car drivers should always be looking for destination charging to extend trips and provide EV freedom. The trip documents a test drive by Jill Ciminillo, a contributor to Pickup Truck + SUV talk, and shows how driving at 75 to 80 mph and unexpected stops in the winter can quickly drain your battery pack.

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This review is great example of how a new EV driver needs to ditch their gas mindset when it comes to road trips and winter driving. First and foremost, EV drivers need to look or plan for EV charging opportunities when you embark on an extended metro trip (Thanksgiving) or longer road trip in the winter.

In this review, Ciminillo plans to drive from Chicago to Milwaukee with a 100% charged Mustang Mach-e — though the electric battery bar doesn’t seem reflect 260+ miles. The drive from Chicago to Milwaukee can be approximately 90 to 115 miles. The trip is going fine but the review takes a lunch break and then reverses course once they were near Milwaukee and come back home to Chicago.

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On the way to Milwaukee, Ciminillo was driving at 65 mph and this conserved the battery range quite nicely, but on the way back Ciminillo states that she wanted to keep pace with traffic and was traveling at 75 to 80 mph.

Charging Opportunities & Highway Driving

A couple of things here for new EV drivers, you want to charge every time you stop and especially at lunch. At lunch, eating times on the road can range from 15 to 60 minutes, and a DC fast charging station will provide approximately 50 to 90 miles in 30 minutes, depending on the automaker and station.

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