Cold weather range loss is not one thing. It is a pileup: battery chemistry slows down, rolling resistance changes, air is denser, the cabin needs heat, and the pack may need conditioning before charging or high power operation.
That is why winter EV range can feel dramatic even when nothing is wrong with the car. The system is spending energy to keep both the occupants and the battery in a useful temperature window.
Where the energy goes
The cabin heater is the obvious load. A heat pump helps, but it is still real energy. Battery preconditioning is the quieter one: it improves charging and performance, but the energy has to come from somewhere.
Short trips are especially punishing because the vehicle pays the warm-up cost repeatedly. Longer trips often settle into a more predictable rhythm once the pack and cabin are already warm.
The practical answer
Precondition while plugged in, use seat heat when it makes sense, plan charging with margin, and treat EPA range as a lab reference point instead of a promise from the universe. The car is not broken. Winter is just a very persuasive test case.