Electric vehicle owners face huge challenges amid Chicago cold snap

It’s been years since the city of Chicago has had a prolonged period of cold weather like this, and some residents are learning the hard way that electric vehicles have difficult coping with the frigid conditions too. Charlie Wojciechowski has the story.

[@cwoolfo1]

If you can't charge at home or work.. don't buy an EV.

[@rack9458]

Charge at work? Why should your employer pay for your car charge?

[@user-vj9hy8dw9e]

@@rack9458 Gov. incentives and kickbacks, Greening every few years to replace the chargers etc.

[@Anomize23]

You must have missed the part where all these people have charged at home but because it was so cold, the battery continued to decrease like a leaking gas tank😂 it didn’t matter if they charged at home or not.

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

@@Anomize23Because they probably left the interior heater on while they were away from the car.

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

@@rack9458Plenty of employers allow charging at work.

[@user-kg8oc3pn8w]

Look on the bright side, pushing your Tesla around with no power should save you money from joining Peloton.

[@nickb3968]

Pushing your Tesla is very green too! Much of produced electricity is done using gas, so pushing it helps the environment.

[@Eclipse503]

😂😂😂

[@XKS99]

I see broken down jalopies all along the highways in the states and none of them are Teslas.

[@user-vx7vi3vq1c]

@@XKS99Jalopies? Are you 90 years old?

[@nickb3968]

@@XKS99 that makes sense from the perspective that EV's represent less than 1% of the cars on the road and are driven on average only 2/3 the miles/year of an ICE vehicle.

[@ronbelanger4113]

Who knew? Batteries do not work well in very cold conditions.

[@safeandeffectivelol]

Shocker. Just ask anyone who lives up north

[@ryanadamgarner]

I've got 190k on mine and live in Canada. No issues here. You do lose some range but I still get 300km per day. And the superchargers are much better. If you buy an EV that isn't a Tesla, that's when you have an issue.

[@safeandeffectivelol]

@@ryanadamgarner The range on my Toyota is still the same as the day I bought it 15 years ago.

[@ryanadamgarner]

@safeandeffectivelol Toyota is great too. I'm just saying that as someone that has one, range isn't ever a concern. Even when it's super cold. I just get in and get where I need to go and it's really cheap as I don't need to buy gas. The gas car is actually less convenient as we need to put gas in it every week or two. That's just one of a hundred reasons that when we step out of the house, we always choose the Tesla over the other car. Even on long trips. To be honest, I would say the critical part to own an EV is that you need to be able to have a house where you can plug them in. It would suck having one if you lived in a condo or apartment with no where to charge.

[@Fucknuts4u]

@@ryanadamgarner - Yeah okay, whatever you say there sport.

[@justsayingforafriend7010]

4 hours to fill your car.... What are you supposed to do for 4 hours? Besides get robbed in Chicago?

[@user-vx7vi3vq1c]

If gas cars refueled slowly and EV’s took 3 minutes….EV owners would be laughing.

[@ouigisboredroom]

Uber to a movie or strip club

[@ER-df8vx]

Lol

[@BeenHomeSickSinceCovidwFamily]

very on point

[@Mrdezmiki]

Imagine the mess at charging stations if 80% of the general population had EVs.

[@mikefarrington7141]

As ownership increases, so too will the number of stations.

[@PackFan-tv5pj]

Almost 85% of EV owners charge at their homes. And as mentioned by another responder, as ownership increases, so will the number of stations. 2023 was also a record year for EV sales, so charging stations need to catch up. EV industry is still very young. Tesla and other EV companies will fix this, no doubt.

[@d.fenestrator9529]

@@PackFan-tv5pj The more EVs, the more power outages there will be, especially with the government's anti-fossil fuel idiocy.

[@t.d.5804]

Just look at Norway, its cold there, they have more EVs and less issues with them

[@AkioWasRight]

@@mikefarrington7141 That doesn't solve the problem of low range and long charging times.

[@cjsnylons]

This makes me laugh. What a waste of money, both for individuals and for our incompetent government.

[@mrmonkey2214]

Not incompetence. Working out as planned. They are successful in limiting the range. Look up 15 minute cities.

[@guyz7777]

The government didn't "invent EV's....nor are they forcing people to buy them....unlike social media is making out

[@user-us5lt1dp6s]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@alexalex13131]

Spending more than 5 minutes to refuel your car is unacceptable to anyone with a life.

[@safeandeffectivelol]

What's wrong with waiting 4 hours in freezing cold to charge up your EV? 🤣🤣🤣

[@WillieGreig-yq6gj]

Yeah you're right. You can turn the heating on full blast once you've charged up and get to the end of the street

[@Audioremedy0785]

To be clear, I have an EV and I guarantee you that in the last 12 months you have spent longer waiting for your car to fuel up than me.

[@coupe400]

@@Audioremedy0785you maybe, but what is with the other people they don’t have the possibility to charge the car at home? EV are not concepted for all people.

[@Audioremedy0785]

@@coupe400 I think it’s a fair point that EVs are not suitable for everyone - but the argument of ‘spending ages charging them’ just isn’t the case for most people. I would much rather have something that in charge at home one evening a week than have to go to a petrol station every 2 weeks taking 15 mins out my day.

[@peeudo]

Welcome to the real world.

[@lanejohnson7656]

That’s without power lines going down… lol Imagine if all emergency vehicles were EV.. The government doesn’t lead by example for reasons….. lol

[@poincareconjecture5651]

Your too sassy😂

[@cm2837]

And I guess no one mentioned the big drain on the battery to run an electric heater to keep warm .

[@Marc816]

That'll cut the range in half.

[@michaelproctor9113]

They are mostly using heat pumps in later models. More efficient.

[@WillWonkeyTertel]

Considering these vehicles require electric. If the cold knocks out the electricity in a area I guess if you have a electric car you're just doomed.

[@douglarsen4801]

Not if you have a backup at home like a Powerwall

[@jeromeburdine966]

Yeah, kind of sounds like how north koreans live, doesn't it?

[@user-vx7vi3vq1c]

@@douglarsen4801And a powerwall costs $12,000. I’ll stick with my gas car that refuels in 3 minutes at any street corner. If the power is out I’ll drive to the next town. 😂

[@douglarsen4801]

Go nuts. I don’t have an EV but this is overblown. 1. People waited too long and didn’t precondition their batteries and Chicago doesn’t have the infrastructure of other states. 2. Gas cars have had problems starting in this weather too, oh and remember the gas shortages in the 70s? It happens too 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@lindacalderon6417]

Natural selection

[@cutehumor]

EV charging infrastructure isn't ready for the extreme cold temperatures. it will take decades to equal what gas stations have right now.

[@bambur1]

the technology isnt ready. It wasnt ready 100 years ago and isnt ready now.

[@byrnc927]

Nor are the vehicles. I have two. I know.

[@markadler8968]

Even then it will never be remotely as efficient as fueling up the traditional way.

[@YouTubeDeletesComments]

Decades? Try a centuries

[@boogboog8097]

Will never "work"...its not supposed to, the goal is to stop you travelling and consuming oil theycwant to send to china

[@anthonymorris5084]

Gosh, if only there was a way to make the planet warmer so these cars could function better.

[@silverdale3207]

Good point, they told us the planet was burning, now they can't charge there virtue signaling devices because it's freezing.

[@benloyd1970]

Funniest comment I have seen

[@anthonymorris5084]

@@benloyd1970 Well, theng ya, theng ya vera mush. (my Elvis impersonation)

[@sneat2028]

You clearly haven't a clue what global warming means!

[@user-vx7vi3vq1c]

@@sneat2028stop getting so upset.

[@larrywells7692]

That "gas-powered" tow truck came in handy!😂😂😂😂

[@levismith7444]

It’s a diesel truck that towed their EV to a diesel generator that’s also filled up by a diesel truck

[@XKS99]

If it can start

[@user-vx7vi3vq1c]

@@XKS99Clearly it started. 🙄

[@loualiberti4781]

EVs work in great weather, if you are wealthy, own a garage and most importantly if you own another ICE car that you can use when conditions are not absolutely perfect.

[@leesantos9711]

Who you gonna call ? Gas tow truck !

[@knowbodiesfull5768]

I ain't 'fraid of no gas!

[@leesantos9711]

@@knowbodiesfull5768 👍🤣

[@rascha7869]

One of the reasons why I love my combustion engine so much... NO problems, even in the coldest winter time 👍

[@okiesailor5417]

My battery goes dead in the cold, I just hook up a jump box and 2 minutes later I'm ready to go. So nice to own a gas engine vehicle.

[@marioeduardoferreiraruiz]

Exactly, gas cars are the best in every situation, I doubt anything could ever be even slightly as good as gas cars!

[@user-vx7vi3vq1c]

Or just buy a $120 battery every 3-4 years. Zero problems.

[@okiesailor5417]

@user-vx7vi3vq1c , I kept my last truck for 16 years and only put 2 batteries in it after I bought it. Keep thinking EV's are better, I can jump start or charge my battery in any temperature. Go price EV batteries and you'll have to admit that EV's are not cheaper to own. Using your 3-4 year estimation, I would have spent maybe $600 for 5 batteries over 16 years. So yes, It's way less problems than the hassles of having an EV you can't charge because the batteries are too cold and you have pay to get the EV to a place so the battery pack can get to a temp so it can finally be charged. So as you put it, zero problems.

[@marioeduardoferreiraruiz]

@@okiesailor5417 Absolutely, so true, well said.

[@ronpagala7496]

Must be nice to have a “jump box”🤣🤣

[@brandon-tech]

So they spend half day sitting in the cold? How much time = money you are spending wasting ?😂😂😂😂😂

[@justsayingforafriend7010]

If you own a EV you better have tow company's on speed dial...

[@568843daw]

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!😅😂🤣 What did you FOOLS expect?

[@littlet7556]

😂😂😂😂, they are fools! I love it!

[@ryanbrown3334]

Remember how much you are helping the environment. Also, being cold builds character!

[@MrJ-dc3yz]

Just another reason not to get a EV

[@ezrhino100]

Here are a few tips from other experts. Don't buy EV. That covers all the tips you need to know.

[@MarkWilliams-lx9vy]

Sure makes me love my old gas guzzling PU😂😂😂😂

[@stackchn]

I've always thought EV owners were all white liberals but the local news reporter 🎤 just interviewed 3 black men stuck at EV charging stations and I have to admit I'm a bit surprised.

[@jackklenk4352]

And as this silliness takes place my 5.0 is humming along.

[@pigboykool]

Waiting for hours in freezing temperature & wait for another hour to charge it.........talk about insanity & good luck making to work on time! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@binkybabe6452]

No problem… Just get up 3 or 4 hours earlier than usual!

[@pigboykool]

@@binkybabe6452 or 6 to 7 hours during winter 😂

[@BraulioMontelongo]

This lesson is something learned long ago up here in Alasa

[@thecardclosetcanada5443]

Man. Can you imagine if these people lived somewhere it got really cold?

[@cindyhurd5488]

This is why i have feared the EV all along. What do you do when you get stuck out in bitter cold and your battery dies...no way to even stay warm..then what??

[@Destroyer-Grizzly-BIH]

That car note still due, cuh!

[@eugeniaskelley5194]

Yah, and these depreciate quickly.

[@BostonAutoBlog]

First news report showing all EV's are being effected, not just Tesla. Add freezing temperatures to the list of reasons why going full EV isn't attainable, at least for the foreseeable future.

[@stevenichols4639]

And yet more than half the car sold in Norway this year, electric vehicles and it’s an average of -7 in the winter it works fine. You just have to understand what goes on and you can’t let the battery go dead just like you wouldn’t drive a car until you had no gas.

[@PackFan-tv5pj]

@@stevenichols4639 Agreed - with record EV sales in 2023, there are a lot of newer owners out there who need to become very familiar with what is different about EVs. Norway has their $hit together.

[@BostonAutoBlog]

@@stevenichols4639 Norway has a population of 5 mil people, with their largest city having less than 700k people. Chicago's population alone equates to almost half of Norway's entire population. It's an apples to oranges comparison in regards to population density, infrastructure, and Americans commuting habits compared to Norway's.

[@billmM3605]

@@BostonAutoBlog Boom. You hit the nail on the head. That is exactly why we should make the choice to drive whatever we want, not the government. The U.S. population has so many different needs for our transportation based on our individual lifestyles. I'm sorry, but EV's aren't meeting many of these needs. Examples would be long range traveling, especially in extreme climates, towing anything with substantial weight, apartment and rental dwellers, not to mention the lack of infrastructure to accommodate a large population of EV's. This may change in the future, but right now, EV's are not practical for many. Please EV owners, drive whatever you want and let the rest of us do the same. If you have to try so hard to convince me how great something is, it probably isn't as good as you claim. Besides, I can make my own decision on what I want or need.

[@XKS99]

@@BostonAutoBlog Dude I live in Canada and drive an EV with no issues. You just need to make sure you can charge at home before buying an EV. That's it.

[@smedleybutler1969]

Why just why? My car outside has 3/4 tank of gas and if I leave the car till next week it is still 3/4 tank! EVs are a bad idea for many many reasons!

[@Jupiterxice]

Buying an EV is like playing Russian roulette.

[@bananarepublic8951]

Imagine how pissed off TSLA fanboys with NBC reporting this?

[@dantespeak138]

When EV owners would be happy to drive a YUGO.

[@Destroyer-Grizzly-BIH]

I bet carjackers would never take an ev, cuh!

[@Sven989]

The only positive thing about an EV. 😂

[@Peacewithineyeofthestorm]

Great time to have a tow truck company. Saw a bunch at Giant this afternoon dressed like they're getting ready to climb Mt Everest. No steam.

[@justsayingforafriend7010]

Wait until everyone has one... You will wait for days!!!

[@sandybeach3576]

The drivers can feel good that they are doing their part to stop climate change, as they freeze😮

[@postulatingspin4470]

The ultimate insult is a lot the these stations don’t work and have hardcore panhandlers……your potential crime exposure time is extremely high. So…in addition to freezing your ass off….you gotta good chance of getting mugged.

[@ratpatootie8623]

Sucks to suck!

[@edo4713]

How is that anyone else’s problem except the people who bought them. Smart people tried to tell you not to do it.

[@prgmr5057]

Maybe carry around a gas generator for a quick charge?

[@ChiRusNkFUSA]

People should realize that anytime human invented something new they are going to be problems. Unfortunately, nowadays people expect new invention to be perfect when in reality that’s impossible.

[@truckcamper5751]

People are dumb they gotta do their homework before they spend that money

[@hoosierdaddy8002]

I can`t help but laugh at them.

[@Marc816]

I'm doing that now!

[@Golfing422]

Yet politicians want to just dive head first into this.

[@jamesberonja1539]

My condolences. Terrible weather to be stuck.

[@lazyhydroponicsandstuff3682]

I could have told all those people before they bought those they are worthless.

[@postulatingspin4470]

Rob Ross…thanks for showing me why I don’t need an EV.

[@centermass3454]

How do people not go to work and have all day to charge their cars, so they don't have to pay for gas?

[@solarflaresss]

I own the Model 3 for over 5 years without any problem at all. I usually charge at HOME 99%

[@bigdi77]

I have a ev6 gt and I live in a condo and charge at home as I am typing this my car is plugged in right now

[@JB-fq9dp]

Why buy/lease an EV if you don't have access to a level 2? That's where you save $$$ the most is charging at home.

[@staceygantt1119]

Critical thinking, risk assessment, risk analysis, mitigation measures and contingency planning obviously wasn't thought of when purchasing these vehicles. Does anyone think of long term planning anymore or is it just me! Damn!!

[@seemonroes]

Most of them believe a biological male can get pregnant. That should answer your question.

[@DowntherabbitholewithD]

I think most people these days don’t have critical thinking skills. Lol. Great comment 💯🙌

[@jennifer8724]

Exactly, you must be a Gen X like me

[@AkioWasRight]

Most EV owners are just NPCs.

[@tdgdbs1]

The same people who are still wearing masks.

[@2anonymous]

I just asked the questions through an AI chatbot, and it takes as much electricity to fully charge a Tesla as it does to heat the average home in Minnesota in January for a week.

[@jayf6525]

No sympathy. Call an Uber and come get your car in the Spring.

[@concernedcitizen9466]

Yea, because they got one of the best anti theft systems out there. It doesn't run.

[@jeffreycash1572]

Just think if mass adoption happens what kind of mess. Power grid failures. The federal government allotted 7.5 billion for charging station and 1 has been installed and it probably doesn't work.

[@mistiinseattle]

How anyone could be dumb enough to buy these things is beyond me. l

[@BlackYellow07]

“Let me tell you about owning an electric vehicle!” bragged the walker.

[@lanejohnson7656]

Take the gas pump handle out of my cold dead hand.., 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@Batman-xl2bg]

This is the media playing up the stupidity of a few that thought they could rely on public services all the time. You need a solid home charger period. Those who have one are fine.

[@XKS99]

Hundred percent this

[@eugeniaskelley5194]

Wow, so you can charge up at home. You start your day driving and your battery in the cold starts to decrease rapidly. I am so glad you can go all the way home to recharge during the day.

[@lgee9027]

Ummmm NO!!!! I started my gas car right up😂😂😂 done with shopping in two hours

[@LucianoGusto]

My v8 Silverado just said hello 😂

[@TT-hm9uc]

So sad for these people . And in other news

[@JdTaylor-xf4bc]

Leakage current on the battery with cold temps.

[@faunwillow]

❤Unfortunately, any temperature lower than 32°F can cause appreciable damage to the batteries. The chemical reactions when charging lithium batteries below freezing point will slow down to a point where hardly any useful energy is produced. At this point, the batteries may eventually stop working altogether.❤

[@XKS99]

That's why modern EVs regulate their battery temperature.

[@poincareconjecture5651]

Oh boy...thank you for that nice insight...good old college Physics😅

[@user-zu3xe8fe6y]

Im not against the idea of EV. But when I first heard this thing my reaction is are people patient enough to wait 10 - 2 and hour charging time? Thats the biggest concern with me

[@blogattacker]

First Tesla users are super fans and will never tell the negative side.

[@user-pt2qv2zq2r]

Oil is not greed it necessary

[@FoxywithaRubikscube]

Plugin Hybrid would be a great middle grounds for this area I'm sure

[@fortvalor]

This guy didn’t even know what the super charger was called he called it a machine lol

[@kenh2o]

Wow, wait until you & your family's life depends on it to escape natural disaster...........🤣🤣🤣

[@WestonUSofA]

Watch later this year they will be fighting to end gas and diesel vehicles. Get rid of the EVs!

[@lannyramos7065]

My tesla wasnt charging overnight and i had to uber to work

[@pellajoe]

I got $30 of gas this morning. Took 5 mins. In & out! Car nice and warm inside! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@micahwillis7655]

They need to watch that Netflix film 😅

[@joytimmons]

I am glad I have a fuel powered car.

[@marcelstanford430]

Plug-in hybrids are the best choice while we make the slow transition from ICE to EV's. The cold all electric range in my experience is half the summer range. At least with a PHEV you still have the gas engine.

[@hieutv8350]

PHEVS have the most issues than any other drivetrain. Hybrids are a better option.

[@herbertpearson5665]

Pack a suitcase with warm clothing when driving a Tesla in cold temperatures. 😮😅

[@ronpagala7496]

The heater will drop the range to 100 miles right away

[@johnambro7181]

Only plug on my truck is for my phone.

[@evanchapmanfanman]

I get why folks buy EV cars, but one should think about where the electricity comes from and where the materials to make the batteries come from and the pollution from mining. If you ask me, I think fixing an older vehicle is better for the environment, not only are you keeping perfectly usable vehicles out of the landfill but you’re also recycling and reusing. Plus working on your own car is a great opportunity to learn a useful skill.

[@BIGGGESTAL]

100% correct

[@ChristaFree]

Lol.

[@johnozolnieks5904]

It took me 4 minutes to get 30 dollars of fuel and I can go farther too !!! 😂😂😂

[@darthgrundle2349]

Please, keep buying them, more food for my Big Block...

[@hornprof46]

One of the best selling cars in Norway is the Tesla model Y. I haven't been to Norway but I hear it's quite cold there. Maybe the drivers in Norway know that they need to pre-condition the battery before charging so it will charge fast. User error on these owners in Chicago

[@ZurOhki1]

That and you don't keep driving until you're on 5% battery and *then* start looking for a charger.

[@byrnc927]

Why should have to precondition anything? The whole EV idea is stupid.😅

[@darrell3643]

🤣😂@@byrnc927

[@hornprof46]

@@byrnc927the reason is that the supercharger will charge at 1000 miles per hour of charge when it is warm. It slows down and you get an 80% charge in 15-20 minutes. It’s something most EV owners know - just not these people in Chicago

[@XKS99]

Preheating the battery should be automatic like it is on Teslas. The average moron isn’t going to understand what battery temperature means any more than oil temperature.

[@digglerdiggler]

To be fair, people should have a charger at home if possible and be knowledgeable about range of their car. If public chargers would be primarily used for people on longer trips the infrsstructure might be enough.

[@ouigisboredroom]

Resale values on Tesla’s be awesome 😂

[@darrylmincey5058]

Electric cars are nothing but headaches that I can do without.

[@russellcarter8709]

Why dont they have a charger at home

[@dzrewn1]

So when the battery goes completely dead is there a way to get the vehicle into neutral so you can push it? 😂

[@NoManClatuer-pd8ck]

New plug-n-stay feature by Tesla not so popular.

[@mrmonkey2214]

Got to laugh at the gullible EV owners. 😂

[@jamwiddle6642]

Spend the $1000 and install a home charger. You also get a TAX CREDIT if you do.

[@stock9299]

We all have weather apps to know -11 degrees was forecasted, they should have charged up before the freeze

[@ljacobs357]

Didn’t these people do any research before purchasing.

[@Marc816]

I wonder how much they like their beloved electraps NOW!!!!!!!!??????

[@EVPHASE]

Need to Preheat/precondition the battery simply by selecting the Supercharger in the Tesla Navigation, would have fixed most of the issues and plan ahead. Also charge to 80%, would help with the lines. If too busy or chargers not working drive to another local Supercharger, again in the Navigation will show you how many stalls open before you go to that Supercharger, just go to another one that is open or go to a CCS charger, Electrify America, EVGO, Chargepoint or a local Level 2 Chargers all work with Tesla's with the CCS adapter.

[@annfrierson6325]

Time for residential charging stations or devices

[@XiaoPP1]

What these EV people think the cold temp be doing to batteries?

[@herewegoagain4041]

Awesome buy electric but keep the diesel black smoke spewing tow truck card on your person. So they can carry ur green machine when its not being green.