EV batteries do not work well with the current cold weather in the Midwest, despite all of its benefits.
Owners of Tesla vehicles in the Midwest are experiencing a difficult time. The “cold snap” flinging chilly weather across the country has brought temperatures in Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and other locations down to the single digits, with several cities reporting sub-zero values during even the warmest hours of the day. And while such icy circumstances might cause most people to think of slick roads, snow days, and leaking faucets, those who own Teslas and other electric vehicles have an additional concern to be concerned about: dead batteries.
It has been reported by Fox 32 Chicago that Tesla owners in metropolitan areas of the Midwest are having a difficult time keeping their vehicles charged. Drivers in the Windy City spend hours at Tesla supercharging stations such as the one in Oak Brook, which has become a “car graveyard” due to the increasing prevalence of electric vehicles. There are even some of them who have been waiting in line for several days in a succession, eagerly anticipating that each day will be the day that they will finally be able to charge their dead vehicles. It is common practice for drivers to abandon their vehicles at the charging station in order to hitch a ride with a buddy and return the following day when the line is too lengthy.
The driver of one Tesla even reported to Fox 32 that he had arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport to discover that his vehicle was unable to start. His Tesla was towed to a neighboring charging station by a flatbed tow truck, which he had no choice but to employ because he had no other option.
Several Tesla accidents in the Midwest bring to light a problem that is intrinsic to standard electric vehicle batteries. The chemical reactions that take place inside of a lithium-ion battery are slowed down by cold temperatures, which results in a reduction in the capacity of the battery. In addition, the electric vehicle is dependent on that battery to power the climate control elements that are responsible for keeping the interior warm. When temperatures are extremely low, these functions work overtime, which places even more strain on the battery. The battery will die considerably more quickly than it would on a day with a mild temperature.
Although electric vehicles are a fantastic choice for people who live in warm places such as southern California or Florida, it is more difficult to justify their purchase in regions that are known for having winter temperatures that are below freezing. However, if climate change poses a threat to the weather patterns that we are most accustomed to, as it has done with the recent cold snap that we are experiencing, it is possible that cold batteries will become a problem in more regions than we can possibly think.
Although it does not appear that Tesla has made any public statements regarding the bad reactions of its vehicles to the current cold snap, the company does have a web page that is dedicated to “cold weather best practices.” (It should be made clear that all lithium-ion electric vehicle batteries are vulnerable to cold temperatures; Tesla sales simply outstrip other electric vehicle sales by a significant amount, which makes them more apparent, as well as the challenges that their batteries suffer.) The behaviors that are included in this category include warming the car before departure, utilizing the Trip Planner feature of the infotainment system to pre-heat the battery before charging, and thawing frozen charge ports with the built-in Defrost Car option.