re: Tesla owners run into battery charging trouble in Chicago's bitter cold

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Ive long thought the only way electric vehicles make any sense is if you have a garage with a charger and also have a second car that is ICE powered for longer trips. It would be nice to rarely go to gas stations.

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This is the best way to go.

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Now I guess you need a heated garage or maybe just drive the ICE vehicle on the coldest days. I guess you could get a kerosene heater for the garage and use it on the coldest days.

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I guess if you live somewhere that’s absolutely frigid, but it got down to 12 last night and the garage was about 48 this morning. IMO, anything above 20 and you’re fine (in terms of the battery). Below that for long periods and it seems to get weird (in terms of charging, acceleration and braking).

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I really want to like EV and have considered a model 3. The hanging around waiting for a charge on the coldest days is enough to push me into the ‘EV is not an option’ camp.

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Yeah, I’ve been a M3 owner for 4 years and I can say that you definitely don’t want Supercharging to be your primary option. Some people do it but I wouldn’t. They’re great most of the time but I operate in a way that I minimize my need for them.

Similarly, you can charge from a normal wall outlet…I did this for a month and also wouldn’t recommend that as a primary way to charge.