Teslas are lined up in extreme cold, waiting for Chicago Supercharger stations, where charging is very slow. Apparently some drivers have run out of charge trying to stay warm while waiting for a turn and had to call for a tow.
Not a big surprise at ~-20C I suppose, but I don't recall reading of such problems in the Nordic countries. Maybe those owners are more likely to be educated about their vehicles, and to follow Tesla's cold weather recommendations. Not much is said about other EV brands, but there's no reason I can think of that Teslas should have any more cold weather charging problems than Bolts, Leaves, Kias, et cetera. ----- Dead Tesla cars pile up at Chicago Superchargers in extreme cold A bunch of Tesla vehicles were unable to charge at Supercharger stations across Chicago amid an extreme cold wave. ... Chicago is seeing an extreme cold wave at the moment. Yesterday, the windy city had a temperature of 2F (-19C) that felt like- 20F (-29C) after the wind factor. These extreme temperatures have been blamed for issues at Tesla Supercharger stations across the city. ... Most Superchargers are marked as all-in-use with wait times ... https://electrek.co/2024/01/16/dead-tesla-cars-pile-up-chicago-superchargers- extreme-cold/ or https://cntp.me/ZF6ntkE ----- "I've been here for over five hours at this point and I still have not gotten to charge my car," Tesla driver Brandon Welbourne told CBS News Chicago, as car horns blared nearby. "A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours." ... Tesla has tips for drivers in the cold ... maintaining a charge of at least 20% ... warm[ing] the battery. ... using Trip Planner to navigate to a charging location for at least 30-45 minutes before arrival to ensure optimal Battery temperature and charging conditions ... "Always connect to an external, low voltage power supply before opening a door when the vehicle has no power," Tesla says, "to avoid breaking a window." [Yikes. I take it that Teslas have no hard-key backup.] https://www.npr.org/2024/01/16/1224913698/teslas-chicago-charging-extreme- cold or https://cntp.me/xlCSYgo ----- Most news sources are reporting it straight and without bias. A few are pushing the negatives. Thanks guys. Example: 'Don't Buy a Tesla': Chicago's EV Drivers Struggle With Sub-Zero Temperatures With temperatures consistently below zero in Chicago, electric vehicle drivers there have struggled to keep their EVs charged over the past few days. ... "I've never seen it like this before," says one driver on TikTok as she scrolls through her Tesla app, which shows 20- to 30-minute wait times at most Superchargers near her. "Don't get a Tesla," she says, unless you live in a warm climate. ... When PCMag took a Tesla Model 3 on a day trip around Chicago in January 2023, it achieved less than 100 miles of the advertised range and could not go more than an hour and a half without charging. ... https://www.pcmag.com/news/dont-buy-a-tesla-chicagos-ev-drivers-struggle- with-sub-zero-temperatures or https://cntp.me/lJQ6r4T David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices. -- Edward R Murrow = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
