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
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Let’s dive into this frosty fiasco.
The Cold Chicago Scene
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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!
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The Arctic Assault
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The cold wave was an Arctic version of a blitzkrieg, catching everyone off guard.
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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
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The city’s train tracks found themselves in a heated battle against the biting cold.
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Metra and Amtrak were caught in the frosty crossfire, with heaters working overtime to keep switches and signals from freezing.
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The sight of small fires along the tracks was a strange spectacle, a testament to the brutal cold.
Enter the Electric Knight: Tesla
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Now, let’s introduce the other main character in our story – the futuristic knight in shining armor, Tesla.Â
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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.
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“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
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“A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours.”
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Cold-Stricken Teslas
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The freezing temperatures launched a cold assault on Tesla’s electric heart – its battery.
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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.”
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The Battle at the Charging Stations
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The icy antagonist wasn’t done yet. It further complicated matters by causing issues at Tesla’s charging stations.
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The frigid temperatures led to longer charging times, transforming charging stations into battlegrounds with Teslas lined up in long queues.
The Evergreen Marketplace Episode
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Let’s zoom in on one such battlefield – The Evergreen Marketplace charging station in Evergreen Park.
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This normally tranquil spot was a chaotic scene with Teslas stranded due to dead batteries.
Talk about a cold-hearted move, eh?
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The Oak Brook Incident
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And then there was the Oak Brook Tesla supercharging station, another chilly arena.
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Tesla owners found themselves in a desperate bid to power their cars.
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Some were forced to abandon their vehicles as charging proved impossible.
The Canadian Cold Test
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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.
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The Cost of Charging in the Cold
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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.
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His journey to Saskatoon from Kelowna was taking three times longer due to increased charging times.
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Some Tesla owners have found ways to make the cold work for them, like pre-conditioning their batteries for faster charging.
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But others, like Uber driver Darryl Johnson, have had enough of the cold-induced hassles and are considering going back to gasoline-powered vehicles.