'Don't Buy a Tesla': Chicago's EV Drivers Struggle With Sub-Zero Temperatures

With temperatures consistently below zero in Chicago, electric vehicle drivers there have struggled to keep their EVs charged over the past few days.

EV batteries tend to lose power faster in cold weather, getting as little as 50-60% of their advertised range, AAA tells PCMag. That effect is especially pronounced in really cold weather like in Chicago, where even the public schools are closed today due to "wind chills that could reach -30 degrees [Fahrenheit]."

Charging stations around the city are over capacity. Drivers are traveling long distances for an open stall, then waiting in long lines. Some cars don't make it, and are towed while waiting, WGN Chicago reports.

Once their car is finally plugged in, it takes longer than usual to power up. “You have to come up here, wait two hours to get into the charger. They tell you it’s fast, but then it takes two hours to charge your car,” Marcus Campbell tells NBC Chicago.

"I've never seen it like this before," says one driver on TikTok as she scrolls through her Tesla app, which shows 20- to 30-minute wait times at most Superchargers near her. "Don't get a Tesla," she says, unless you live in a warm climate.

Those who can charge at home are likely still in good shape for doing errands around town, but road trips could be difficult in these temperatures. When PCMag took a Tesla Model 3 on a day trip around Chicago in January 2023, it achieved less than 100 miles of the advertised range and could not go more than an hour and a half without charging.

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Even if EV drivers don't drive at all, their batteries are losing power rapidly, which PCMag also experienced. “I think I had 30% when I went to bed,” Eddie Zipperstein tells WGN. “When I woke up it was at 16%, so this cold definitely sucks the power out of the batteries faster.” 

Making matters worse, many manufacturers are switching to a different type of battery in their entry-level models, known as an LFP battery. Though cheaper, they have a lower energy density, making them even more susceptible to the cold. Tesla, Rivian, and Ford use them in the base model of the Model 3, R1S/R1T, and Mustang Mach-E.