These last couple of weeks have been brutal for most of the country. It has been COLD!
Domenick Nati, a radio host from Virginia, was traveling and attempting to charge his Tesla Model S electric vehicle at a Supercharger station ahead of his holiday plans. On the cold day of 19°F, or -7°C, he faced significant issues with charging due to the temperatures.
After trying to charge it at home with no success, he went to the Supercharger station and posted a video on TikTok that has since gone viral. The car showed a message saying it was warming up the battery in preparation for charging, but even after an hour it still hadn’t started charging.
Nati reached out to Tesla about the issue but had not yet heard anything back by Saturday. His struggles have created confusion as many associate this situation with normal problems associated with charging in cold weather conditions. In fact, electric vehicles are directly impacted by colder temperatures when trying to charge as it takes time for the battery pack to warm up enough for higher charge rates.
To enable optimal performance and efficiency from these batteries in colder climates, Tesla introduced a feature that allows you pre-condition your battery for charging if you enter a certain point into your navigation system ahead of time.
What Domenick experienced was not standard for cars trying to charge in colder temperatures, rather it was linked to some form of malfunction specific to his individual car. This has been highlighted further through his viral video which aimed at showcasing his struggles while attempting to get his Tesla Model S running during the winter season, something that is usually a difficult task due its sensitivity towards lower temperatures and its inability to handle them efficiently when compared with other cars on the market today.
Standard or not, it’s still a cause for pause.
