Prius

Make
Toyota
Segment
Hatchback

As the EV segment continues to grow amongst the major automakers, some questions are being brought up regarding a lithium-ion battery's extreme weather capabilities. With EVs beginning to go more mainstream with the public, it'll be interesting to see how they do on a mass scale when harsh winters and steamy summers arrive. The Electric Traffic Helsinki Test Bed project has recently organized a gathering of local EVs and their drivers as a part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 Design Weekend.

It all took place on Sunday, February 5 where EV owners drove in procession through downtown Helsinki (that's in Finland for those whose world geography is lacking). The thermometer showed 20 degrees Celsius below freezing (-4 degrees Fahrenheit), a number that could give regular gasoline engines problems.

A total of nine cars participated, including two Peugeot Ions, a Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL which is the first mass-produced electric van on the Finnish market, a Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, a Nissan Leaf, and even a Corolla electric taxi. None of the cars experienced any sort of problems starting or driving in the freezing cold. The good people over at electrictraffic.fi sent us a tons photos and a video taken at the event, and we began to feel cold just looking through it all. Regardless, it was definitely an interesting experiment.