Winter range in the Gorge: what to actually expect

Every winter we get the same question, usually asked a little nervously: what happens to my range when it's 34 degrees and raining sideways through the Gorge?

The honest answer: you'll lose some, it's predictable, and it's almost never a problem once you know the pattern. Our team drives these cars to Hood River, Government Camp, and back every week of the year. Here's what we actually see.

The 20–30% rule

On a cold, wet day, expect 20–30% less range than the window-sticker number. A 300-mile EV becomes a 210–240 mile EV. Preheating the cabin while you're still plugged in claws a meaningful chunk of that back, because warming the battery from wall power is free range.

Headwinds through the Gorge cost more than the cold itself. If you're driving into a 30 mph east wind at 70 mph, the car is doing 100 mph worth of aerodynamic work. Slow down 5 mph and you'll watch the consumption graph flatten out.

What we tell every winter buyer

Buy for your worst week, not your best day. If your regular loop is 120 miles of winter commuting, anything with 250+ miles of rated range gives you margin to never think about it.

And if you're eyeing a specific car in the collection, ask us for its real cold-weather number — we track what our inventory actually does in Pacific Northwest winters, not what the brochure says.