Freezing temperatures turning ev charging stations into car graveyards

Why are public charging stations turning into 'car graveyards'?

In the Oak Brook suburb of Chicago, Illinois, where temperatures have routinely dipped way below freezing, local media reported public charging stations turning into "car graveyards" because motorists were unable to power their vehicles. "Nothing. No juice.

Are electric vehicles vulnerable to a winter Deep Freeze?

As a Midwest winter deep freeze returns after several years of warmer temperatures, electric vehicles are turning into giant frozen bricks, and the freezing temps are revealing a major vulnerability in EV technology.

Do EV batteries work in freezing conditions?

The problem is that battery basics simply do not work well in freezing conditions. Ions inside EV batteries travel between the positive and negative electrodes through a liquid electrolyte. As it gets colder, that liquid, at least in most lithium-ion batteries, thickens, meaning the ions move more slowly.

How does cold weather affect electric cars?

Such cold has dire effects on electric cars - causing their batteries to drain more than twice as fast, killing their ability to generate power via regenerative braking, and slowing the charging process drastically. At -5 °F an electric car will have less than 50 percent of its full range, according to a study by telematics provider Geotab

Are Chicago's charging stations a graveyard of dead cars?

Read our editorial standards. Chicago's deep freeze temps turned the city's public charging stations into a graveyard of dead cars as EV owners struggled in the cold.

Are Tesla supercharging stations a 'Tesla graveyard'?

Tesla supercharging stations around Chicago have become what some residents are referring to as 'Tesla graveyards' as the frigid arctic blast has run their batteries flat.