Tesla drivers stranded as charging stations stop working in freezing weather

Tesla has explained the reason why

It’s common for freezing temperatures to cause issues with travel, but not usually in this way.

Tesla owners in the US were left stranded after the extreme cold meant they were unable to charge their vehicles.

In Chicago, the mercury was as low as -17C and along with all the usual risks the freezing weather brings, it wreaked havoc for Tesla drivers.

According to local news channels, owners of the electric cars had to deal with a lack of working charging ports and much longer charging times.

Tesla owner Brandon Welbourne told ABC7: “Our batteries are so cold it’s taking longer to charge now, so it should take 45 minutes, it’s taking two hours for the one charger that we have.

“I have seen at least 10 cars get towed away from here because the cars, they died, they’ve run out of battery. It’s too cold, it uses too much of the energy to try to keep the car somewhat reasonable temperature, so everybody is getting towed away and we have nowhere to charge.”

Another Tesla driver, Sajid Ahmed, said: “Right from outside the highway, there’s a whole line of cars, about over 20 cars, all Tesla cars, and you can look around here, every single car is a Tesla car, full with Tesla cars this whole parking lot. And we’re waiting and waiting for over an hour”

“It’s unfortunate that these cars are sitting dead in the spots.”

Many of the cars conked out in the queue due to the wait, leaving drivers stranded.

Tesla does explain on its website that its cars use more energy in cold weather so that the battery and inside of the car is still heated.

Because of this, the manufacturer recommends that owners don’t let the power drop below 20 per cent in cold temperatures.

“A blue snowflake icon may appear on your touchscreen and in the app if your battery is too cold for full power and ideal range. When this icon is displayed, you may notice reduced regenerative braking and acceleration,” Tesla explains.

“Leaving your vehicle plugged in whenever possible and keeping the charge level above 20 percent when not plugged in will reduce the impact of cold temperatures.”

Many of you reading this will have no doubt experience issues with petrol cars starting after a night of freezing temperatures.

The cold weather can cause the lithium-ion batteries in cars to lose their ability to charge and lose power quicker.

This is why you might find your car battery flat if it has been left stationary outside in the freezing weather overnight.

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