Electric Car Owners Fuming After Deep Freeze Zaps Batteries

https://www.forbes.com/sites/edgarsten/2024/01/17/how-to-keep-electric-vehicles-charged-in-extreme-cold/?sh=121851116b1c

EV owners from Chicago to Texas were fuming about being in the long lines, the ridiculously slow duration of time it took to charge their vehicles or that many charging stations weren't working at all. Frustration reached its boiling point for Brandon Welbourne. The Tesla owner told CBS Chicago News,

“I’ve been here for over five hours at this point and I’ve still not started my charge,” Welbourne said. “Charging that should take 45 minutes has taken two hours.”

According to Energy5, Tesla Charging Stations are powered by a variety of renewable sources including grid power, on-site solar power, and battery storage. ToolStop released a publication on November 30, 2023, addressing cold weather issues with lithium batteries. The revealed the cold hard truth citing that lithium batteries, die hard in cold and freezing temps losing their ability to hold a charge or end up with damaged cells caused by the frigid temps.

It's a matter of chemistry and physics, according to a report by Recurrentauto.com, which studies electric vehicles. They reported that lithium-ion batteries begin to lose power soon after they are made, much like cell phones and laptops. Whether it's being used or sitting on a shelf they slowly lose power and over time.

The Recurrent report noted in cold temps, EV cars lose 30% of power, and running things like the heater, defroster, etc. further depletes the vehicle's charge. This claim is backed up by a Consumer Report that also discovered,

"For cold temperatures, what we have found is that 20° F and colder is when the range really drops.”

All EVs aren’t the same regarding losing power in cold weather. Recurrent measured the range loss and found:

Kia Kona EV drops 34% in freezing weather, while the loss for a

Tesla Model S dropgs 28%

EV's rated with a range of 250 miles only do 150 miles of range when it’s 20 degrees outside. If you have an electric car, here are tips to get a longer life out of your battery in colder weather.