It's So Cold, Teslas Are Struggling To Charge In Chicago

[TTL News 310]

Quote

 

The Arctic air gripping much of the U.S. put Tesla drivers in Chicago into a pickle on Monday. Many of the cars sat in long lines at Supercharger stations, their owners saying the cold sapped the electric vehicles' normal ability to charge — and keep a charge.

In some cases, tow trucks were called to move the cars, in scenes that were relayed by local TV news. The Tesla owners' plight became an emblem of the misery extreme cold is inflicting on wide sections of the U.S. (more on that below).

Tesla owners line up, hoping to get a charge

"I've been here for over five hours at this point and I still have not gotten to charge my car," Tesla driver Brandon Welbourne told CBS News Chicago, as car horns blared nearby. "A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours."

 

Read the rest here.

[KarenK 384]

I saw that on the news last night and it made me chuckle.  Nope, I'll stick with gas powered car for now

[MsKreed 1,186]

I have no problem with expanding EV the market and availability. But the market is limited. Charging at home is only an option for homeowners (duh); and even with that luxury, their daily round trip commute would need to be limited to a range that is less than "the worst case scenario". 

I'd really like to hear what kind of "spin" we could possibly get from Hochul, Biden and others who support (or have already imposed) laws that mandate 100% of new vehicles to be EV in the next decade. 

Elected officials who thought this was feasible (and their staff/entourages) should have all been prohibited from travelling in any gas/diesel vehicles for at least a year before being permitted to vote on that legislation. 

[MsKreed 1,186]

5 minutes ago, KarenK said:

I saw that on the news last night and it made me chuckle.  Nope, I'll stick with gas powered car for now

Yeah.....it's sort of hard to feel bad for a bunch of upper income tree-huggers who felt so superior for "saving the planet" from the neanderthals who cling to fossil fuels.  

[Hal 341]

1 hour ago, MsKreed said:

Yeah.....it's sort of hard to feel bad for a bunch of upper income tree-huggers who felt so superior for "saving the planet" from the neanderthals who cling to fossil fuels.  

LOL , as one of those that drive a “ Plug in Hybrid “ to which the only drawback is the cost and the way the batteries are produced, I was feeling slightly bad for them as well . But its a lease and we are going back to being fossil fuel addicted , lower income ,  full blooded Neanderthals in two months . The plug in as you know generates its own juice but still as I said  the cost of the battery alone with how the Lithium is mined and produced is more damaging to the Earth than the benefit of the fuel savings . 
Full disclosure. When our previous lease was due there was a shortage of gas powered Rav4s so they put us in this Hybrid at a good price  . 2025 Rav4s will all be hybrid so we will be getting a gas powered one this time around . And yes I did get a laugh out of your post … honest ! Because you are spot on with the description of EVers … 

[Chris 2,183]

I think a hybrid is the best route. Full on EV? No thanks. Of course our wonderful governor has already seen fit to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035, so unless something changes I’m thinking PA will see a nice uptick in vehicle sales.

7 hours ago, MsKreed said:

Elected officials who thought this was feasible (and their staff/entourages) should have all been prohibited from travelling in any gas/diesel vehicles for at least a year before being permitted to vote on that legislation.

And give up those cool looking, big black SUVs that show up three and four at a time?!? Or *gasp* stop flying all over the nation and world?

Seriously, eff those hypocrites. They use more fossil fuels in their career than most American families do in a lifetime. 

[Chris 2,183]

Citing decrease in demand, Ford is already giving up, at least when it comes to the F150:

 

[Zapp Brannigan 139]

1 hour ago, Chris said:

Citing decrease in demand, Ford is already giving up, at least when it comes to the F150:

 

Electric pickup trucks are just dumb. Not to mention those Fords are rather pricey and most normal folk cant afford them.

[Chris 2,183]

I was told they're great for in town use but the minute you have to tow something or have a heavy load, forget it. 

[MsKreed 1,186]

19 minutes ago, Zapp Brannigan said:

Electric pickup trucks are just dumb. Not to mention those Fords are rather pricey and most normal folk cant afford them.

 

17 minutes ago, Chris said:

I was told they're great for in town use but the minute you have to tow something or have a heavy load, forget it. 

Even passenger vehicles have a limited EV market. Trucks and vans are heavier, more likely to carry cargo weight and are used for utilitarian needs that require regular travel outside city limits. It's absurd to think they'll work as EVs in any practical sense.

I’m in a few FB groups for Class B RVs, and there’s been a lively conversation about the Ram Promaster EV that is being introduced. I can’t believe how many people think they’ll live long enough to see these things commonly adapted to travel coaches.

We’ll need several generations of improvement before the EV charge will be sufficient to power the coach in addition to the current travel capacity of 162 mile city range on a full charge. (That’s for an unloaded chassis. Add the RV build and that will drop significantly.)

The option to drive a loaded rig to a remote destination and boondock for days is a long way in the future.