Brace yourself folks, we’ve got a chilling tale to share.Â
It’s about a little tussle between the futuristic tech giant, Tesla, and the icy old dame, the Chicago winter.Â
Let’s dive into this frosty fiasco.
The Cold Chicago Scene
Chicago’s winter is as notorious as a villain in a superhero movie, known far and wide for its bone-chilling temperatures.
This year, the Windy City lived up to its notorious reputation, with temperatures plummeting to -32 degrees!
The Arctic Assault
The cold wave was an Arctic version of a blitzkrieg, catching everyone off guard.
The bustling city was held hostage by the freezing temperatures, causing havoc with everything from public transportation to private cars.
Frozen Tracks and Heated Battles
The city’s train tracks found themselves in a heated battle against the biting cold.
Metra and Amtrak were caught in the frosty crossfire, with heaters working overtime to keep switches and signals from freezing.
The sight of small fires along the tracks was a strange spectacle, a testament to the brutal cold.
Enter the Electric Knight: Tesla
Now, let’s introduce the other main character in our story – the futuristic knight in shining armor, Tesla.Â
The electric vehicle (EV) maker, helmed by the real-life Tony Stark, Elon Musk, has been winning hearts and roads across the globe.
However, the icy clutches of the Chicago cold proved to be a formidable adversary.
“I’ve been here for over five hours at this point, and I still have not gotten to charge my car,” one Tesla driver told CBS News.Â
“A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours.”
Cold-Stricken Teslas
The freezing temperatures launched a cold assault on Tesla’s electric heart – its battery.
Tesla drivers were left in the lurch as the relentless cold drained their batteries at an alarmingly fast rate.
In a statement by the company, they said, “We have made several updates to improve your driving experience in freezing temperatures, including better overall thermal performance, quicker Supercharging, and improved cabin conditioning.”
The Battle at the Charging Stations
The icy antagonist wasn’t done yet. It further complicated matters by causing issues at Tesla’s charging stations.
The frigid temperatures led to longer charging times, transforming charging stations into battlegrounds with Teslas lined up in long queues.
The Evergreen Marketplace Episode
Let’s zoom in on one such battlefield – The Evergreen Marketplace charging station in Evergreen Park.
This normally tranquil spot was a chaotic scene with Teslas stranded due to dead batteries.
Talk about a cold-hearted move, eh?
The Oak Brook Incident
And then there was the Oak Brook Tesla supercharging station, another chilly arena.
Tesla owners found themselves in a desperate bid to power their cars.
Some were forced to abandon their vehicles as charging proved impossible.
The Canadian Cold Test
This story takes us further north to freeze-land Canada, where the cold is even more ruthless.
Here, a Tesla driver found himself stranded at a -45°C charging station.
The Cost of Charging in the Cold
The poor chap, Jack from Kelowna, had to dish out about $100 for a charging session that only filled up his battery 2/3 of the way.
His journey to Saskatoon from Kelowna was taking three times longer due to increased charging times.
Some Tesla owners have found ways to make the cold work for them, like pre-conditioning their batteries for faster charging.
But others, like Uber driver Darryl Johnson, have had enough of the cold-induced hassles and are considering going back to gasoline-powered vehicles.