I'm a car expert and here's 6 genius ways to use electric vehicles to beat the heatwave
Heat can wreck your plans but an EV carries a secret kind of backup power that makes the day feel less fragile.
As the founder of the EV advice site Electrifying.com, it will come as no surprise to hear that I love electric cars - and during a heatwave they have some surprising advantages over petrol and diesel models too.
From cooling the cabin before you leave the house to powering a fridge at the beach or sleeping comfortably with the air conditioning running overnight, here are six brilliant things an electric vehicle can do during the heat of Summer that petrol cars simply can’t.
1. Sleep in air-conditioned comfort
When the temperature refuses to drop, your EV could become the coolest bedroom you own - and it can cost just pennies to keep the air conditioning running overnight if you’re plugged into a cheap overnight tariff.
Several EVs now include dedicated camping features that allow you to keep the climate control running while you sleep. Tesla’s Camp Mode keeps the air conditioning, ventilation and USB ports running all night, while Rivian’s R1T and R1S take things a step further by using their adjustable air suspension to level the vehicle if you’re parked on a slope.
Škoda has embraced the camping trend too. The Enyaq is available with a camping package that transforms the boot into a compact kitchen, while a mattress turns the cabin into a double bed - I’ve tried it and it’s surprisingly comfortable.
Better still, if you’re plugged into a home charger overnight, the car can run the air conditioning using mains electricity rather than draining the battery. If your bedroom feels like an oven during a heatwave, your EV could end up being the coolest place to spend the night.
2. Use clever EV technology to stay cool
Electric cars have some brilliant tech to help you get through the summer - even when you’re not driving.
Tesla’s famous Dog Mode lets you keep the air conditioning running while you’re away from the car, helping to keep pets comfortable on hot days. Other manufacturers have followed suit, with Kia introducing a Pet Mode on models including the EV5 and EV9, which performs a similar role.
Many EVs also feature Vehicle-to-Load (V2L), allowing you to power household appliances directly from the car’s battery. That means you can run a portable fridge full of cold drinks, power an ice-making machine, keep fans running or charge camping equipment without needing a mains hookup.
Whether you’re spending the day at the beach, having a picnic or camping for the weekend, it’s one of the most useful EV features that many owners don’t realise they already have.
3. Cool the cabin before you leave
Drivers are familiar with pre-heating an electric car during winter, but exactly the same technology works in reverse.
Most EVs allow you to cool the cabin before you set off, often using a smartphone app while the car is still plugged in. Instead of climbing into an oven on wheels, you can open the door to a cool, comfortable interior from the moment you leave home.
Pre-cooling also makes sense for efficiency. Because the car can use electricity from your home charger while it’s plugged in, it doesn’t need to rely as heavily on the battery once you’re on the move.
Many electric cars will also precondition the battery at the same time, ensuring it’s operating at the optimum temperature for both efficiency and charging performance. It’s one of those simple features that becomes indispensable once you’ve used it during a hot spell.
4. Protect your battery during extreme heat
The good news is that modern EVs are designed to manage battery temperatures automatically, so drivers don’t need to worry about everyday hot weather damaging their battery.
Battery packs perform best when they’re neither too hot nor too cold, and modern cooling systems work constantly to keep them within their ideal operating range.
You can still help by avoiding unnecessary stress during the hottest part of the day. If possible, avoid rapid charging immediately after a long, high-speed motorway journey, giving the battery a little time to cool first.
If you’re leaving your car at home while you’re away on holiday, it’s also worth leaving the battery between 20 and 80 per cent charged. Lithium-ion batteries don’t like sitting for long periods at either a very high or very low state of charge, so this simple habit can help maintain long-term battery health.
5. Drive smarter in hot weather
Electric motors are incredibly efficient, generating far less waste heat than petrol or diesel engines. That makes it easier to keep the cabin cool, although air conditioning still uses some energy.
Rather than setting the climate control to its coldest setting, choose a comfortable temperature of around 20C and let the system maintain it. Opening the windows briefly before setting off also helps release trapped hot air before the air conditioning takes over.
Hot weather doesn’t just affect the cabin - it affects your tyres too. As temperatures rise, the air inside expands, increasing tyre pressures. It’s worth checking them regularly during periods of extreme heat, particularly before setting off on a long journey.
As with any summer road trip, it’s also sensible to carry drinking water, plan for possible delays and keep an eye on weather warnings if temperatures are expected to soar.
6. Choose a summer-ready EV
If you’re shopping for a new electric car this summer, why not choose one that comes into its own when the sun is shining?
One of my current favourites is the new Renault 4 Plein Sud. I’m already a big fan of the Renault 4, preferring its chunky crossover styling to its smaller Renault 5 sibling, and now Renault has finally introduced the feature I was most excited about when the original concept was revealed - a huge electrically operated canvas roof.
The Plein Sud - French for “due south” - replaces part of the steel roof with an enormous 800mm x 920mm powered canvas opening. It’s far bigger than a conventional sunroof and transforms the Renault 4 into the perfect companion for sunny days, letting you enjoy open-air motoring while still travelling in near silence.
It costs an extra £1,500, but I reckon it’s money well spent if you love making the most of summer.
