[tuatoru]

It's explained in the article. Batteries work by means of chemical reactions, which go faster at higher temperatures.

Vehicle batteries are designed for the same sorts of temperatures that humans like, say 10 to 30 °C.

In cold weather, energy has to be taken from the batteries to heat them up so that they work better. More energy is taken to heat the cabin of the vehicle for the occupants' comfort. This reduces the energy left in the battery for moving the vehicle.

[anon9384929]

Thank you! Is it safe to say you want the wires transmitting the power to be cold, ideally, but the battery itself not necessarily so? (Thinking about the electric grid, etc here as well.)

[xxs]

Indeed, pretty much any conductor (that carries high current) would be more efficient (lower resistance) at lower temperatures. So the losses in the cables would be lower. However, that's a tiny part compared to the temperature needed for the battery chemistry to be efficient on its own.