Cold weather is testing the limits of Tesla owners and their EVs

As the sub-zero temperatures hit Chicago and much of the Midwest, EV drivers are facing a harsh reality of ownership, as the cold conditions leave both cars and its owners in unfortunate dilemmas.

In these cold temperatures, charging stations are charging EVs much slower while EV batteries, affected by the cold, leave vehicles with a reduced range, leaving some owners having to have their vehicles towed while waiting for their turn on the plug.

“I’ve been here for over five hours at this point and I still haven’t got to charge,” Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report owner Brandon Welbourne told CBS News Chicago. “A charge that should take 45 minutes has taken two hours.”

In a July 2023 report, Consumer Reports found that EVs suffer from a reduced range of up to 25% in the cold compared to mild temperatures in the mid-60’s, noting that EVs have to “produce cabin heat and manage an optimal battery temperature with energy that comes from the battery,” resulting in a reduced range.

Additionally, Jack Brouwer, the director of the Clean Energy Institute and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California, Irvine told The New York Times that chemical reactions in the batteries of EVs are slowed during extremely cold temperatures, resulting in reduced capabilities when operating outside in such conditions.

“It ends up being very difficult to make battery electric vehicles work in very cold conditions,” Brouwer told the Times. “You cannot charge a battery as fast or discharge a battery as fast if it’s cold. There’s no physical way of getting around.”

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The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), recommends EV owners to “allow for 20% variance in your available range to remain on the safe side and be judicious with your choice of the cabin temperature,” as well as using the heat seats in lieu of the climate control and parking electric vehicles indoors whenever possible.

The trials and tribulations of EV owners in sub-zero Chicago add to the fears about range anxiety and an underdeveloped charging infrastructure for those anxious to adopt the plug over the gas pump - fueling hybrids to break sales records for automakers.

In a statement released on January 17, Honda (HMC) - Get Free Report said that its CR-V Hybrid was the best selling hybrid in the United States, and that its CR-V and Accord Hybrid models represent over one-quarter of total sales for the brand.

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