Pre-conditioning an electric vehicle allows EV drivers to schedule their departure time in advance and warm the temperature of the cabin.

The useful feature brings the cabin up to the desired temperature, defrosts and de-mists your windows and warms the battery so it’s operating at peak performance.

GRIDSERVE says, “Not only does pre-conditioning an electric vehicle save time, it also stops drivers from making common mistakes when attempting to defrost their car in a hurry.

Time-saving mistakes like using boiling water to clear ice and snow risks cracking the glass and using wiper blades to clear the windscreen only damages them when they’re frozen.”

GRIDSERVE used the estimated 15 minutes it takes to defrost an average car and calculated the cumulative hours that could be wasted during freezing temperatures. The 62 working days throughout the winter months mean that British drivers spend almost 1,000 minutes – or 15 hours – in the cold and dark scraping ice and brushing snow off their vehicles. Unless you’re an EV driver, of course.

Pre-conditioning hack can prevent drivers from being slammed with £60 driving fine

GRIDSERVE also found that preconditioning can prevent potential winter driving fines. Drivers often don’t have the time to defrost the full car and set off with a small portion of the window clear or snow still on the roof of the vehicle. This dangerous behaviour is known as ‘portholing’.

‘Portholing’ poses the risk of snow or ice moving on the windscreen and completely blocking your view of the road. The behaviour receives an on-the-spot fine £60 fine and three points on your driving license. It’s not just physical barriers that risk receiving fines, either – not de-misting the car fully can also put you at risk of a portholing fine.