Ontario Winter Range: Volvo EC40 vs. -20°C
“On a recent chilly, winter test drive, electric vehicles lost between 14 and 39 per cent of their stated range
with the Chevrolet Silverado EV and Polestar 2 losing the least range and the Volvo XC 40 Recharge losing the most.”
— The Globe and Mail, 2025
If you bought a Volvo EC40 (formerly the C40) or an XC40 Recharge in the summer, you likely fell in love with the torque, the silence, and the minimalist Swedish interior. But if you live in Ontario, specifically Ottawa or Northern Ontario, your relationship with this car will be tested when temperatures plunge. Marketing materials often mention that EVs lose “some” efficiency in the cold. That’s a polite understatement. When the air hits -20°C, the physics of lithium-ion chemistry collide with the aerodynamic reality of driving a brick-shaped SUV at 120 km/h on the 417.
Here’s what really happens to your Volvo EC40 in the winter.
The -20°C Rule: Expect a 30-40% Hit
Let’s dispense with the official WLTP or EPA range estimates. Those numbers are generated in controlled environments that look nothing like a pre-dawn Tuesday in Mississauga.
In CAA’s Canadian winter road test (Ottawa to Mont-Tremblant, -7°C to -15°C), EVs lost 14% to 39% of stated range, and the Volvo XC40 Recharge showed the largest drop at 39% (Official: 409 km → Real-world: 248 km). Separately, Norway’s NAF/Motor ‘Winter El Prix’ also shows that several EVs, including Volvo models, can miss rated range by roughly ~30% in sub-zero testing.
Similarly, data from Recurrent Auto, which tracks thousands of live EVs, indicates that at freezing temperatures (-1°C to -6°C), many EVs lose up to 30% of their range. As temperatures drop toward -20°C, that loss can accelerate toward 50% depending on cabin heating usage.
The Math for Ottawa Owners: If your EC40 dashboard says you have 400 km of range at 100% charge:
At 0°C: Expect ~300 km.
At -20°C: Expect ~240 km.
At -20°C at highway speed: Expect ~200 km or less.
These are rough estimates based on the losses observed by the CAA and aerodynamic drag calculations at highway speed; they do not necessarily reflect actual performance of any vehicle.
The "Turtle Mode" Experience
Volvo calls it “Reduced Performance.” Owners call it “Turtle Mode.” It’s the dashboard icon that appears when your battery is critically low or the battery management system (BMS) determines the pack is too cold to deliver full power. In an internal combustion car, running low on gas just means the engine stops eventually. In the EC40, it means the car will fight you. While the manual describes this as a safety feature designed to protect the battery and driveline, owners report that the actual driving experience can be jarring.
Power Limitations: The vehicle’s software restricts the amount of power the electric motors can draw. As noted by Kelley Blue Book regarding general EV “limp modes,” this often results in a noticeable inability to accelerate at highway speeds.
Speed Caps: In severe cases, owners on forums such as Swedespeed have reported the vehicle electronically limiting its top speed to preserve range—sometimes as low as 60–70 km/h—making highway driving precarious.
Climate Regulation: To prioritize the drivetrain, the system may reduce power to auxiliary systems. This often manifests as the cabin heater blowing cooler air or the heated seats turning off to conserve energy.
This is not a defect, but a system protection measure. However, in the context of an Ottawa winter, it is a critical limitation that drivers must be prepared for.
The 401 Factor: Drag Coefficients
The EC40 and XC40 are not aerodynamic teardrops like a Lucid Air or a Tesla Model 3. They are crossover SUVs with blunt front ends.
Aerodynamic drag increases with the square of speed. At -20°C, the air is significantly denser than it is at +20°C, meaning the car has to push harder just to maintain 100 km/h or higher. Combined with the high rolling resistance of winter tires and the battery energy required to keep the cabin at a livable temperature, highway driving is the worst-case scenario for this vehicle.
If you’re planning a trip to Toronto in deep winter, don’t trust the Google Maps arrival estimate implicitly. The “Guess-O-Meter” (GOM) often fails to account for the sustained high-speed consumption spike caused by headwinds at highway speed (Geotab, 2023).
The 1% Club
There’s a unique adrenaline rush for EV owners who have rolled into their driveway with a 1% battery. This is extra exciting because the percentage drop is non-linear at the bottom of the pack. The jump from 5% to 0% can happen startlingly fast if the battery is ice cold.
Some Advice:
Precondition: Always set a departure timer in the Volvo Cars app while plugged in. This warms the battery using wall power, not battery power.
The 80/20 Rule: In winter, treat 80% as your full “tank” and 20% as empty. Never plan to arrive at a Supercharger or home with less than 15-20% charge.
Use % not km: Switch your dashboard display to show Battery Percentage (%), not Range (km). The kilometers are a guess; percentage is a fact.
References
Geotab. (2023, February 2). To what degree does temperature impact EV range? Geotab. https://www.geotab.com/blog/ev-range-impact-of-speed-and-temperature
Heaps, R. (2025, January 29). Limp mode in a car: Everything you need to know. Kelley Blue Book. https://www.kbb.com/car-advice/limp-mode/
Norwegian Automobile Federation. (2024). Elbil-test vinter 2024 [EV Winter Test 2024]. NAF. https://www.naf.no/elbil/elbiltest/elbil-test-vinter-2024
Recurrent Auto. (2025, November 19). Winter & Cold Weather EV Range Tests. Recurrent. https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/winter-ev-range-loss
The Globe and Mail. (2025, March 5). Real-world tests show which EVs lose the least range in the winter. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-real-world-tests-show-which-evs-lose-the-least-range-in-the-winter
Volvo Car Corporation. (2024). XC40 Recharge Pure Electric Owner's Manual: Indicator and warning symbols. Volvo Cars Support. https://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/support/car/xc40-recharge-pure-electric/article/9397e31f9b6b040dc0a80151503f4daa
