Midwest’s return to deep freeze is revealing a major vulnerability in electric vehicle (EV) technology.
Chicago-area Tesla and EV users are facing issues with frozen batteries, leading to long wait times at charging stations and reduced charging efficiency in severe cold.
Some drivers even had their cars towed away from the charging stations.
The preconditioning feature, meant to warm the battery for charging, requires power to operate, which becomes a challenge when the car is already low on power.
Additionally, using the cabin heater in cold weather significantly reduces battery life.
“I’ve been here for over five hours at this point, and I still have not gotten to charge my car,” one Tesla owner said. “A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours.”
“Public charging stations have turned into car graveyards over the past couple of days,” WLFD-TV stated.
“This is crazy. It’s a disaster. Seriously,” another Tesla owner said.
“Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent,” Tesla owner Tyler Beard said. “And this is like three hours being out here after being out here three hours yesterday.”
“We got a bunch of dead robots out here,” another said.
“Like any new technology, there’s a learning curve for people,” Chicago Auto Trade Association’s Mark Bilek stated.
Tesla has provided tips for winter driving, but the recent Arctic blast across the country has highlighted the challenges of using electric cars in such conditions.
“Leaving your vehicle plugged in whenever possible and keeping the charge level above 20% when not plugged in will reduce the impact of cold temperatures,” Tesla’s website states.
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