Most electric cars don't have the range of the Model S. The Model S itself (and other cars) can have their range reduced in less then ideal conditions. Also at times I've done 800 to 1000 mile drives without wanting to stop for a half hour every 200 miles.
Still with the Model S or cars with similar range, and with the proliferation of charging points, long distance drives are now practical if a little slower.
With a lower end electric car, in winter, with the heater and defroster on (also the radio, not that it makes a huge difference) and driving 75 miles an hour (no snow on the ground even with the cold temperatures), it doesn't work so well. Controlling the temperature of the battery greatly reduces the loss of efficiency but takes some energy itself.
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n hindsight, it’s not surprising the Mitsubishi MiEV EV I drove barely made it to 50 miles rather than its rated 62 miles (100 km). It was a dark and chilly if not stormy early December night and that killed the range. When you drive an EV, “your mileage may vary” includes cold weather as well as hard acceleration and late braking. As temperatures dip below freezing, you could lose 25% of your electric vehicle’s precious range. Batteries are less efficient in cold weather, they don’t regenerate as well, and electric heating for the cabin, seats, and windows drains your range, too.
extremetech.com
Cold weather kills electric car range When the weather outside is frightful (including very hot), battery car performance suffers.
California resident Sam Miller-Christiansen just loves his 2014 Chevy Volt, which he calls “my little Zen garden on wheels.” But he’s “always longed for better electric range” than the 38 miles his car achieves on a good day. For 2016, Chevrolet listened to the feverish testimony of Volt owners and jumped that battery mileage to 50.
Range is a huge issue with EV owners, and for very good reasons. The Volt has the gas engine in reserve, but 100 miles is the standard top end for battery electrics. And that’s only under optimal conditions; bad weather makes the range much worse.
A new study published in Environmental Science and Technology (EST) looks at the range-and-weather equation, and reports, based on driver testimony, that cold days (using the heater) or very hot ones (air conditioning) can reduce range up to 40 percent. Remember that gas cars generate their own electricity for accessories like that; in electrics, everything drains the battery. Also, batteries simply aren’t as efficient in extreme weather (especially if they lack pack heating and/or cooling).
And I’ve seen much the same in winter EV driving — the 100-mile car becomes the 60-mile (at best) car. A Volt I drove during a New England winter went 28 miles before switching to the gas engine, which isn’t bad — Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV cars I drove did much worse under frigid conditions. One December, I got 34 miles from an i-MiEV that’s rated at 62. Mitsubishi has warned i-MiEV drivers not to use the heater because it will cut the range in half...
mnn.com
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