Supercharger failure - Oak Brook Mall (dead Teslas?)

[TarmacSurfer]

Not that facts matter to the EV-h8r crowd, but the fact is I use my M3 to go up to the mountains skiing pretty much every weekend. No issues. I’ve driven it in -15°C temps up at Mammoth and it sat overnight cold soaking in sub-zero (-18°C) temps overnight. Got in the next morning and drove it with no problem.

The only issue I ever ran into was a “fail to charge” at the supercharger (again up in Mammoth). I drove the car around for about 10 minutes with the preconditioning active and tried again, no problem.

EV problems are overstated. Can they go everywhere? No. But neither can ICE vehicles. If you’re up in northern Minnesota without a block heater in winter, you aren’t getting your car or truck started either. There’s a reason vehicles in Alaska and Alberta are left running or parked in heated garages. Everything has limits.

 

[SunnylandY]

If you don't have charging at home you probably shouldn't have an EV, particularly in a cold climate where it takes a fair amount just to keep it alive.

 

[Tam]

If you don't have charging at home you probably shouldn't have an EV, particularly in a cold climate where it takes a fair amount just to keep it alive.

It's a fair statement but to get more EV adoption, this cold issue needs to be solved.

I don't live in the East, but it's still my problem because there are occasions when I need to visit my family and friends, and sometimes it's in winter.

 

[outdoors]

-37F is what I have had no

It's a fair statement but to get more EV adoption, this cold issue needs to be solved.

I don't live in the East, but it's still my problem because there are occasions when I need to visit my family and friends, and sometimes it's in winter.

One has to be a little more resourceful, and that is a hard thing to ask sometimes when many look at cars as a given or convenience. Traveling outside of what one is used to either temperature or charging sometimes takes some mental thought. Hey some don't want to think, but in time one would hope they don't have to as tech improves.

 

[Tam]

-37F is what I have had no


One has to be a little more resourceful, and that is a hard thing to ask sometimes when many look at cars as a given or convenience. Traveling outside of what one is used to either temperature or charging sometimes takes some mental thought. Hey some don't want to think, but in time one would hope they don't have to as tech improves.

People who live in Southern California can be spoiled. When it rains on the road, they scream as if it snows.

Yes, it's very cold in Chicago, but you don't see gasoline cars lined up dead while filling gasoline at a gasoline station.

We need to wean people off from gasoline stations, and a picture full of Tesla dead at a Supercharger is not very convincing!

That doesn't mean there's no solution for cold-weather Superchargers. Artic countries winterize their equipment, and they can drive with much more snow and cold extremes compared to Chicago.

Norway can do it then Chicago can do it!

Tesla just needs to:

1) Winterize their equipment
2) Increase maintenance crew for winter
3) Bring portable Superchargers in when there's a line.

And stop blaming drivers who quit filling gasoline into their cars.

 

[TunaBug]

So maybe something to think about. I know ICE drivers and others fill gas tanks prior to storms. Maybe an EV driver takes it a bit outside of normal routine to add an extra 20-30% beyond what they normally do. Being prepared in any scenario is a good idea. Not just a car thing.

That's what I do. I normally plug in one a week and charge to 70%. Winter time I try to remember to plug in nightly, and if snow/ice is imminent I'll change the car to 90% instead of 70%.

Which reminds me... the worst is over and I need to change it back to 70%.

 

[Earl]

Unfortunately folks with dead ICE because:
- starter battery failure from extreme cold (coupled with non-viscous lube oil)
- fuel-tank/line freeze because they left it 1/4 full and the humidity in the tank froze and didn't put drygas in it.
aren't a news item.

 

[Rusty1]

Anybody from Chicago who can explain what is happening? Is it no charging or slow charging?

 

[TomServo]

Fox News just interviewed one of the owners, first name of Brandon. The guy lives in Indiana, departed home with 100% SOC and headed to work in Illinois, seems while at work the battery SOC dropped further than usual, left work and didn’t have enough range to get home so he headed to a SCer the car chose. Upon arrival he found half were not working and a line of cars charging. So he got in line and TURNED OFF THE HEAT. TWO and half hours later his car died and he had to call a tow truck to get his S back home in Indiana and a family member to come get him. Seems like the PERFECT storm.

 

[Rusty1]

Fox News just interviewed one of the owners, first name of Brandon. The guy lives in Indiana, departed home with 100% SOC and headed to work in Illinois, seems while at work the battery SOC dropped further than usual, left work and didn’t have enough range to get home so he headed to a SCer the car chose. Upon arrival he found half were not working and a line of cars charging. So he got in line and TURNED OFF THE HEAT. TWO and half hours later his car died and he had to call a tow truck to get his S back home in Indiana and a family member to come get him. Seems like the PERFECT storm.

Sounds like a horrible experience. I am shocked Tesla can’t detect cars waiting to charge and give a better estimate of wait times.

 

[Supcom]

Unfortunately folks with dead ICE because:
- starter battery failure from extreme cold (coupled with non-viscous lube oil)
- fuel-tank/line freeze because they left it 1/4 full and the humidity in the tank froze and didn't put drygas in it.
aren't a news item.

When one of these things happens to an ICE, it affects one person. That's hardly news.

When SC sites and stalls throughout a major city die in the cold, the resulting long lines affect everyone needing a supercharger. That's newsworthy.

Tesla built a reputation for reliable DC fast charging. That reputation has taken a huge hit and is a disaster for the brand. They need to determine the root cause and implement fixes.

 

[Earl]

When one of these things happens to an ICE, it affects one person. That's hardly news.

It certainly helps that the problems are all concentrated in a very few sites, I agree. At least when a gas station fails, there are a lot more around.

I agree that it is a setback to EVs and the haters and trolls will have a field day. Given the overall superiority of the EV drivetrain, however, they'll keep going. They've been through a lot worse.

Its too bad Chicagoans aren't as smart as Norwegians who have had very few such problems in cold.

 

[Tam]

Anybody from Chicago who can explain what is happening? Is it no charging or slow charging?

A combination of factors that created the charging station graveyard.

Some stations were completely shut down.

The charging rate doesn't perform as well for those stations that work in summer. The colder it gets, the slower the charge, the longer the lines, and the more cars run out of battery while waiting in line.

If drivers can take caution and don't wait in line at 30%. Don't use the cabin heater; get in line at 50% or more. Better yet, don't get in line and drive to open locations that don't have a wait.

 

[Rusty1]

A combination of factors that created the charging station graveyard.

Some stations were completely shut down.

The charging rate doesn't perform as well for those stations that work in summer. The colder it gets, the slower the charge, the longer the lines, and the more cars run out of battery while waiting in line.

If drivers can take caution and don't wait in line at 30%. Don't use the cabin heater; get in line at 50% or more. Better yet, don't get in line and drive to open locations that don't have a wait.

So, your best advice would be to plan to charge at 50% instead of 30% or less during extreme cold weather.

 

[Earl]

So, your best advice would be to plan to charge at 50% instead of 30% or less during extreme cold weather.

That's not the best plan. Just like with an ICE: In extreme cold weather (~10F or below), try not to leave parked for long time (overnight) in extreme cold at less than ~80-90%.
In other words, drive somewhere, charge, park.
Again, just like with ICE: it is good to have a plug (ICE has engine block heater) at your overnight parking space. Otherwise, you'll likely have problems charging (ICE: starting) in the morning after being cold soaked all night.

 

[Tam]

So, your best advice would be to plan to charge at 50% instead of 30% or less during extreme cold weather.

My advice would be to beef up the infrastructure: More chargers, more maintenance crew, quick repairs, quick response, more portable Superchargers to the incidence, more PR department sending updates to the news...

In the meantime, drivers must take precautions as winter is not the same as summer. 50% is the arbitrary number as people arrived with 30% didn't make it through the line. Maybe 80% to get through the 5-hour line!

 

[Rusty1]

I know 80% is random, but that makes an EV unusable.

 

[Earl]

I know 80% is random, but that makes an EV unusable.

If that was directed to me, I have to disagree. Its all about the timing: Charge in the evening or in the morning?
When I drive long distances in the winter and am forced to rely on public charging, I can drain my car down to 5% or so between charges, however, when before I park at my hotel for the night, when it is extremely cold, I'll go to a Supercharger and charge to 80 - 90%, then park. It works fine. I leave in the morning with 75%+ charge to my next destination.
Folks who rely on Superchargers all the time must do the same thing: drive all day, then charge, then park and go to bed.
Don't: drive all day until your car is down to 30%, park outside at 0F and go to bed and hope it will charge in 20 minutes in the morning. It will take well over an hour at a Supercharger with everyone else needing to charge over an hour too and what we saw happen will happen again.
If you can't deal with this, you're right, an EV is unusable for you.

 

[Tam]

I know 80% is random, but that makes an EV unusable.

No argument there.

The infrastructure is inadequate for the extreme cold in the US.

 

[TomServo]

And I have to wonder how many long-distance travelers there were in line or locals were without home charging and parked outside and freaking out when they got up and needed to charge before they could go to work or run errands and flocked to the local SCer without thought.