Bitter cold wreaks havoc on Teslas at Chicago charging stations, per report

A number of Tesla car drivers reportedly ran into trouble at Chicago charging stations this week due to extreme cold temperatures.

Tesla owners say that they are waiting hours at Tesla charging stations this week as temperatures in the city of Chicago have remained under 5 degrees for three consecutive days.

At the Evergreen Marketplace charging station in Chicago, a witness told CBS News that at least 10 Teslas were towed from the lot after drivers experienced either long charging times or were unable to use the charging devices at all amid cold temperatures.

Tesla driver Brandon Welbourne told the outlet, “I’ve been here for over five hours at this point, and I still have not gotten to charge my car. A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours.”

“Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent. And this is like three hours being out here after being out here three hours yesterday,” Tyler Beard told Fox 32.

The Tesla website says that cold temperatures can cause an increased drain on batteries:

In cold weather, vehicles use more energy to heat the battery and cabin, and it’s normal to see energy consumption increase.

We have made several updates to improve your driving experience in freezing temperatures including better overall thermal performance, quicker Supercharging and improved cabin conditioning.

Check out the video below for more.