(Patriot.Buzz) – As the winter deep freeze grips the nation, electric vehicle (EV) owners, mainly those driving Teslas, face unique challenges that highlight the limitations of current EV technology in extreme weather conditions.
The deep freeze has led to significant issues with charging, causing long lines at public chargers and a notable decrease in battery life. These problems highlight the difficulties of a forced transition to EVs, a key goal of the Biden administration and various Democratic-led states.
In Illinois, the impact of the cold on EVs has been particularly noticeable. Tesla owners have reported long queues at charging stations, with some drivers even stranded due to depleted batteries. In Skokie, a station with 20 Tesla Superchargers was almost continuously full, leaving drivers to wait for available spots.
Similar scenarios were seen in other locations, with drivers like Wes France experiencing battery drain while searching for an operational charger. France recounted a stressful ordeal where his battery rapidly depleted from 25% to 5%, eventually requiring a tow truck to reach a charger.
The reduced efficiency of EV batteries in cold weather is a well-documented phenomenon. A 2019 AAA study revealed that cold temperatures can temporarily reduce EV range by more than 40% when interior heaters are used. This significant drop in range was evident as drivers, such as Darryl Johnson, an Uber driver, and Eddie Zipperstein, owner of Richards Body Shop, a certified Tesla service center, experienced faster-than-normal battery drain.
Zipperstein offered practical advice for Tesla owners to mitigate these issues, such as parking in a garage to keep the car warm and pre-conditioning the battery for charging through the vehicle’s navigation system. He also suggested keeping the battery charged above 30%.
Despite these tips, drivers are noticeably frustrated. After hours of waiting to charge and then quickly losing power, Johnson expressed his anger, saying, “It’s horrible. … It takes two hours to charge, then the charge leaves really quickly, so now you’re back at the charger twice a day.” Another Tesla driver fed up with the inconvenience echoed Johnson’s sentiment, declaring, “I’m out of this Tesla after today. I’m not going to ride it again.”
