Many charging stations in the Chicago area have been rendered dysfunctional due to the low temperatures, causing electric vehicle (EV) owners to face charging issues. Electric vehicle drivers are stuck with dead batteries since these stations have become car graveyards due to the harsh cold. Tyler Beard, an irate driver, described how he wasted hours at a charging station in Oak Brook, Illinois, trying to charge his Tesla, but the problems never went away.
The batteries are taking longer to charge because of the extremely low temperatures; what usually takes 45 minutes is now taking two or more hours with the charger that is available.
The extensive struggle is highlighted by the huge lines and abandoned vehicles at charging stations. Another Tesla owner, Brandon Welbourne, brought attention to the fact that batteries take much longer to charge as the temperature drops. As if to drive home the point, he said he saw a bunch of cars hauled away because their batteries died.
Chalis Mizelle opted to ditch her automobile and hitch a ride with a friend after experiencing charging failure. One onlooker dubbed the stranded EVs “dead robots” due of the gravity of the situation.
When Kevin Sumrak’s Tesla stopped operating at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, he had to call for a flatbed tow truck to get it to a charging station where it started working again. The charging capability of electric vehicles is affected by cold weather, according to an expert from the Chicago Auto Trade Association, Mark Bilek. Therefore, in order to achieve optimal performance, it is necessary to prepare the batteries.
Fox Business tried to get Tesla to comment on the charging crisis that electric vehicle drivers are facing, but the company has not responded yet. Problems like this make people wonder whether it’s really possible to use electric cars during really cold spells, since they show how susceptible they are to damage from harsh weather.
This isn’t a plug-and-play procedure. According to Mark Bilek of the Chicago Auto Trade Association, “you need to precondition the battery,” which is getting the battery to the perfect temperature so it can receive a rapid charge. Keep the charge level over 20% when the vehicle is not plugged in, according to Tesla’s support website, to reduce the impact of cold temperatures on the battery.