I live in the Urals, and in winter the temperature drops to minus 20-25. I bought a BYD Seagull, the specs say 405 km, but in frost I can only get a maximum of 270 km. Is this normal for all electric cars or is something wrong with mine?
Is the battery new or already high-mileage? All electric cars lose range in the cold - it's totally normal, that's just how lithium-ion batteries work, they spend energy heating themselves. At minus 20-25, losing a third or even half of your rated range is very real, and you're definitely not alone with this. There's no way to completely avoid it, but what helps is charging to full capacity beforehand and preheating the cabin from an outlet before you drive, if you can. Plus while you're on the road, try to avoid sudden acceleration and just keep a calm driving style.
Park your car in a heated garage or at least under a carport - the battery will warm up naturally before you drive, and losses will be smaller. If you don't have a garage, turn on preheating through the app while it's still plugged in: the car will heat the cabin and battery using electricity from the outlet, not from your range.
At your minus 20-25, a drop of a third is actually normal for lithium batteries - they lose efficiency in the cold, but with regular preheating before you drive, losses will be closer to a quarter of your range rather than a third.
This is completely normal for any electric vehicle with lithium-ion batteries, not something specific to BYD. At minus 20-25, losing a third of your range is actually on the optimistic side. The battery just loses efficiency in the cold and uses up some energy to heat itself. If the car is parked in the frost and starts already warmed up, the losses are noticeably smaller, but you fundamentally can't get rid of it.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what's called normal behavior for a lithium-ion battery in freezing temperatures. Not some defect or misuse, but physics. Cold slows down the chemical reactions inside the battery, it becomes less efficient, plus energy goes toward heating itself. In the Urals with those temperatures, losing a third of your range is the reality you have to account for when planning trips.
The most practical solution, if you can manage it - park your car in a heated space: a garage, underground parking, even just under a canopy where the battery won't freeze overnight. Before a trip, turn on preheating through the app while the car's still sheltered - the battery will come up to normal, and the losses will be noticeably smaller. If you're parking outside, at least try covering the car with a blanket or special cover so the battery doesn't lose heat so fast.
Second thing - driving mode. In cold weather, try to avoid acceleration and keep a steady speed, that saves energy. And when planning routes, build in a buffer - don't count on the full 270 km, take an extra 50-100 km margin. Living in the Urals with that climate, you just need to rethink how you use an electric car in winter: it's not a car for long trips in freezing temperatures without prep.
Summer tires in minus 25 is a complete disaster, first thing you should check is what kind of rubber you've got on. Winter tires with low rolling resistance noticeably boost battery efficiency in the cold, plus it's safer to drive.
And the second thing - warm up the car before a trip not by heating the cabin through the app, but by actually driving normally for the first 15-20 km at an easy pace. The battery will warm up on its own from the load and you'll lose less range, unlike just sitting at home warming it up statically.
It's not quite a third, more like 30-35%, and honestly that's not even bad for Ural frosts. The main thing is everyone's already told you the truth about lithium-ion batteries and cold - it's just physics, not a defect. If you're constantly driving out of town in minus 25, just plan your routes with a buffer - 270 km for long trips isn't comfortable anymore, you need to factor in charging along the way or pick shorter distances.
Aside from a garage and preheating, it helps to watch your driving style - aggressive acceleration in the cold uses way more energy than in summer because the battery hasn't reached its full power yet. Smooth, calm driving right after you start saves about 10-15% of those losses. One more thing: if you can, end your day with the battery at least at 20%, not at zero - a fully drained battery degrades faster in cold weather and loses even more capacity over time.
Your concern makes sense, but losing a third of your range isn't a disaster for an EV in cold weather - honestly, you're lucky. At these temperatures, most cars lose even more. The battery loses efficiency simply because chemical processes slow down in the cold, and energy goes into self-heating. This has nothing to do with the BYD Seagull specifically - all lithium-ion batteries behave this way.
The most useful tip people often miss is to watch your tire pressure. It drops in cold, and underinflated tires create more rolling resistance and drain your range. Pump them up 0.2-0.3 atmospheres higher than the spec for summer driving. This'll get you 5-10 percent of your range back - no joke.
One more practical thing: don't wait for the car to warm up on its own while driving. If there's any way to park it under a roof overnight, do it - the battery will at least stay a bit warmer. And if you're heading out from the cold, run the cabin heat for about five minutes before you leave. It'll use some energy, but then the battery will work more efficiently afterward, and the loss will even out.
A third of range loss is indeed normal for lithium-ion batteries in your frost, but I should clarify: the losses can be a bit smaller if you use the preheating function more actively through the app. Turn on preheating 10-15 minutes before you leave while the car is still charging - it really helps because the battery warms up using grid power instead of its own charge.
If you don't have access to a garage, at least park under a canopy or some shelter rather than in the open. And here's another tip from my own experience: in freezing temps, electric cars use a lot of energy heating the cabin, so use the steering wheel and seat heaters instead of full climate control - that makes a real difference in range. In your -20 to -25 conditions, that can get you back about 5-10% of your range losses.
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