Electric vehicle owners in Illinois have not been able to charge their electric vehicles due to the frigid temperatures this week.
“Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent. And this is like three hours being out here after being out here three hours yesterday,” one Tesla owner said.
Fox 32 Chicago reported the long lines and abandoned cars at several charging stations around the Chicago area.
“This is crazy. It’s a disaster. Seriously,” said Tesla owner Chalis Mizelle.
Mizelle was forced to abandon her car and get a ride from a friend when it wouldn’t charge.
Mark Bilek of the Chicago Auto Trade Association claimed EV owners need to set their preconditioning button before they charge their battery.
“It’s not plug and go. You have to precondition the battery, meaning that you have to get the battery up to the optimal temperature to accept a fast charge,” Bilek said.
Tesla reportedly did not respond to FOX 32’s emails or calls to comment on the matter.
