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if the Teslas are sitting on a lot, or not used in a while, the battery is not preconditioning like it would be if it was driving to the charging station.
And this shows why EV owners have had the mantra (since the advent of modern EVs) of ABC "Always Be Charging." i.e. plugged in at home even if not using the car. That way the car can condition the battery off shore power so that it's always ready to be driving, and this sort of thing won't happen.
the part that I question are the reports of people pluggin in and hours later, nutting, they went from zero to zero.
why would the cold prevent ANY charge from happening?
These stories almost always involve people who didn't take care of the battery according to the manufacturer's specifications, either through ignorance or inattentiveness.
In the cold and snow - conditions we have right now - I leave it plugged in if I am not using it and turn on the heater a few minutes before leaving the house. This is why those who choose to own an EV should meet certain conditions, like access to home charging in particular, as has been stated by those of us who actually own them, innumerable times.
It gets just as cold where I live, though not as often, and I have never had this problem. Last year my car sat outside in the snow and single digit temps all weekend in upstate NY during hunting season. I ran an extension cord from the cabin. No issues at all.
Do you understand the chemical reactions that occur inside a lithium battery during recharge and how temperature affects those chemical reactions?
not specifically no, in general yes, but oft that requires the temps of liquid nitrogen cooling - this case included. chicago winter >> liquid nitrogen. IS this problem chemical? cuz it does not appear any other maker is reporting it - or as bad.
ETA: as I understand it, and tesla claims, when hooked up, the magical gizmos do measure ambient battery temp and the gizmos draw the (effectively limitless) current from the charger to warm the battery. The inside of the box should be t-shirt weather - or so they claim. IT might appear that THIS part is broken across the platform.
This story is one sided as it fails to mention all of the ICE vehicles that didn't start during that storm. Many had dead 12V batteries or would not turn over due to the extreme cold.
if the Teslas are sitting on a lot, or not used in a while, the battery is not preconditioning like it would be if it was driving to the charging station.
And this shows why EV owners have had the mantra (since the advent of modern EVs) of ABC "Always Be Charging." i.e. plugged in at home even if not using the car. That way the car can condition the battery off shore power so that it's always ready to be driving, and this sort of thing won't happen.
Okay...tell that to the poor guy that flew back home to Chicago only to find his Tesla parked at the airport was dead forcing him to hire a tow truck and go searching for a working charging station.
This story is one sided as it fails to mention all of the ICE vehicles that didn't start during that storm. Many had dead 12V batteries or would not turn over due to the extreme cold.
In which case you get a quick jump start and then carry on....to Walmart for a fresh battery for about $100..
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