Electric vehicle owners have been urged to preheat their cars and charge them overnight after a number of Tesla electric vehicles were abandoned in the United States.
Winter storms and freezing temperatures have battered the United States over the last week with millions of people being hit by a whiteout.
Drivers in Chicago, Illinois, woke up to their Tesla electric vehicles frozen, forcing some motorists to abandon their vehicles in the -18C weather.
Two trucks were deployed to move the vehicles, while lengthy queues built up at charging stations around the city.
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A number of Teslas were left abandoned in the freezing temperatures
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Some drivers explained how charging times ranged from 45 minutes to two hours, forcing many to queue in the cold temperatures and potentially lose battery before even reaching a charger.
One Tesla owner, Brandon Welbourne, said: “I’ve been here for over five hours at this point and I still have not gotten to charge my car,” he told CBS News Chicago.
He explained how he had seen at least 10 vehicles towed away after their batteries died as a result of the frigid temperatures.
Another driver, Chalis Mizelle, told Fox 32 that he had been forced to abandon her car and get picked up by her friend. She continued, saying: “This is crazy. It’s a disaster.”
Speaking to Martin Daubney on GB News earlier, AA President Edmund King urged electric car owners to take precautions when charging in freezing temperatures.
He said: “When it’s colder, all cars suffer. An electric car suffers when it’s colder in terms of their range, something like when it’s freezing, it’s estimated that the range is reduced from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.
“In real terms, if you’ve got a range of 200 miles at the most, that might be reduced to 160 miles and that’s all to do with the lithium-ion battery and the chemical reactions.
“But most drivers know that so they compensate for it in the winter. There are things you can do to mitigate it. If you’re charging at home you can actually set your charger to come on earlier, to pre-heat the battery, to pre-heat the car.
“When your neighbours are out there with their scrapers or pouring boiling water on the windscreen, I can set a timer on my phone and I get out and my car is toasty warm, the windows are clear.
“So I’ve got to say some of these stories coming out of America are somewhat hyped.”
Videos have also been seen on social media showing people attempting to open the doors of their Teslas only to be met with a thick sheet of ice preventing them from accessing the handle.
Experts urge electric vehicle owners to use the associated mobile apps to help them gain access to their cars when in freezing temperatures.
They can pre-heat the interior of the vehicle, as well as use settings to de-frost and demist the car. Some of these features can also “pre-heat” the high-voltage battery if necessary.
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Drivers in Chicago claimed they had been waiting for hours to charge their EVs
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Cold weather can have an impact on the battery of the electric vehicle, in turn affecting the range the vehicle can travel.
