EVs (Teslas) DOA in cold weather

[Anonymous]

Why is this surprising to people?

Didn’t you all learn about battery function in high school physics class?

[Anonymous]

We are in Chicago and having no problem with our car in current frigid weather. And I'm loving that I can use my app to heat the car, my steering wheel and both front seats for 5 minutes before going to the garage. We have a free public charging station a few blocks from our home and have one installed in our garage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Me again with the two EVs. I will add the the Tesla had a tough time moving up in the driveway this morning, but it's rear wheel drive and probably nearing the end life for it's tires. Same with any RWD car.

Remember when 95 was a s*show that one time--it was the Tesla drivers that stayed warmest. Yes your range is less in cold but if traveling longer than an hour in the cold just charge up to full at your house before you leave.

Did not know they were RWD. Terrible. I thought those went out in the 70s

[Anonymous]

We recently got an EV and use it as our primary car and are loving it. BUT we do have a backup older ICE car and wouldn't want to be solely reliable on electric until the infrastructure is better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/dead-teslas-oak-brook

We are thinking of getting an EV but this gives me pause given today's temp. I think I'm leaning towards a hybrid.

DC area doesn't get as cold as Chicago, but has anyone with an EV had issues charging their cars today?

I live in Utah at 8000 feet and it’s cold. More cold days than Chicago and definitely way more snow. No problem charging our Tesla here in the past 4 years. Precondition (heat) battery before charging. We have driven it to snowbird, Alta, Jackson hole, sun valley, etc when the temps were frigid. No issues. The Chicago story sounds frustrating for sure, but I’m not sure why the cars died, unless they showed up to the charger with 0% battery and had no power to precondition. If you navigate to a charger, your car knows that it will charge soon and will automatically start conditioning the battery for fast charge. Just like you don’t wait until the gas tank is empty before heading to the gas station, you shouldn’t wait until the battery is dead before heading to a charger. People have teslas in Finland and park them outside in arctic conditions without an issue, as long as they don’t let the charge drop too low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/dead-teslas-oak-brook

We are thinking of getting an EV but this gives me pause given today's temp. I think I'm leaning towards a hybrid.

DC area doesn't get as cold as Chicago, but has anyone with an EV had issues charging their cars today?

I live in Utah at 8000 feet and it’s cold. More cold days than Chicago and definitely way more snow. No problem charging our Tesla here in the past 4 years. Precondition (heat) battery before charging. We have driven it to snowbird, Alta, Jackson hole, sun valley, etc when the temps were frigid. No issues. The Chicago story sounds frustrating for sure, but I’m not sure why the cars died, unless they showed up to the charger with 0% battery and had no power to precondition. If you navigate to a charger, your car knows that it will charge soon and will automatically start conditioning the battery for fast charge. Just like you don’t wait until the gas tank is empty before heading to the gas station, you shouldn’t wait until the battery is dead before heading to a charger. People have teslas in Finland and park them outside in arctic conditions without an issue, as long as they don’t let the charge drop too low.

Does that mean you always have to be aware of the weather forecast to make sure your battery is preconditioned?

[Anonymous]

I tried to tell you idiots. The EV crowd ignores this huge risk.

EVs suuuuuuuck in cold weather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me again with the two EVs. I will add the the Tesla had a tough time moving up in the driveway this morning, but it's rear wheel drive and probably nearing the end life for it's tires. Same with any RWD car.

Remember when 95 was a s*show that one time--it was the Tesla drivers that stayed warmest. Yes your range is less in cold but if traveling longer than an hour in the cold just charge up to full at your house before you leave.

Did not know they were RWD. Terrible. I thought those went out in the 70s

Because they were designed to be a high performance car, not a kid hauler. BMWs, Mercedes, etc are RWD unless you upgrade because they drive better with the power in the back. PP could have upgraded to FWD but with how little snow/ice we get, it’s probably not worth it.

[Anonymous]

There are teslas in Scandinavia - all over Scandinavia and they fine!

[Anonymous]

No issues with my Tesla in the cold. I love it because I can heat up my car before getting in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/dead-teslas-oak-brook

We are thinking of getting an EV but this gives me pause given today's temp. I think I'm leaning towards a hybrid.

DC area doesn't get as cold as Chicago, but has anyone with an EV had issues charging their cars today?

This is just stupid renters who didn’t plan ahead. Nobody with a charger at home is ever this desperate to charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My prediction is EVs will eventually become second cars for people who will also keep one combustion engine car. It’s our plan.

Pretty much everyone we know is doing this.. Long distance vehicle is an ICE SUV or car. The 'local' is an overpriced golf cart made by Tesla.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No issues with my Tesla in the cold. I love it because I can heat up my car before getting in.

You can do that with any car

[Anonymous]

Follow the leader!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/dead-teslas-oak-brook

We are thinking of getting an EV but this gives me pause given today's temp. I think I'm leaning towards a hybrid.

DC area doesn't get as cold as Chicago, but has anyone with an EV had issues charging their cars today?

I live in Utah at 8000 feet and it’s cold. More cold days than Chicago and definitely way more snow. No problem charging our Tesla here in the past 4 years. Precondition (heat) battery before charging. We have driven it to snowbird, Alta, Jackson hole, sun valley, etc when the temps were frigid. No issues. The Chicago story sounds frustrating for sure, but I’m not sure why the cars died, unless they showed up to the charger with 0% battery and had no power to precondition. If you navigate to a charger, your car knows that it will charge soon and will automatically start conditioning the battery for fast charge. Just like you don’t wait until the gas tank is empty before heading to the gas station, you shouldn’t wait until the battery is dead before heading to a charger. People have teslas in Finland and park them outside in arctic conditions without an issue, as long as they don’t let the charge drop too low.

Does that mean you always have to be aware of the weather forecast to make sure your battery is preconditioned?

No - regardless of the weather, when I pick a charger on navigation, Tesla preconditions the battery when we’re close. It makes charging quicker
I’m on my third Tesla X and have had zero issues. I love that I can have it set to get warm before I get in on these cold days, and set it to keep warm when I’m running errands, so I never get in a cold car. It performs better in the winter snow and slush than my Landrover