Furious driver slams Tesla car for losing five percent of charge in cold weather

GB News guests debate using electric cars

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The driver who goes by the name Philip claimed that he is forced to pay for electricity, only for his car to “throw it away”. The motorist added that he had to drive his son’s Tesla Model X for a few months instead of his usual diesel vehicle.

Writing to GB News, Philip said: “I live in Germany and drive a diesel Jaguar.

“On a full tank, I can get nearly 900km (559 miles). I borrowed my son’s Tesla Model X for a few months.

“Fully charged it was less than 400km (248 miles) range. We often go for days skiing which can be a 300km (186 miles) round trip.

“I live in a flat so I don’t have a home charger and I had to park it on the street. In the winter when temperatures dropped to freezing the tesla lost five percent charge a day.

“Just sitting there parked, so you end up paying for electricity and then throwing it away.“

Philip was not the only one who had an issue with an electric car battery.

Another viewer named Sheila told GB News: “Coming back from Southport a couple of weeks ago we were stuck in a two-hour traffic jam with the temperature at 32 degrees.

“It was caused by an electric car having a flat battery in the middle of the road works. When they have flat batteries you can’t push them.”

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EV owners were previously urged to take extra care during heatwaves as the heat might affect EVs in several negative ways.

Even simple things such as turning on the air con can reduce the driving range of an EV by 17 percent.

This means that anyone planning on making a 100-mile journey during a heatwave might only be able to cover a distance of 83 miles.

This is because EV batteries decline faster when driven in hot temperatures.

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According to experts at Moneyshake, high temperatures can decrease the charge of the lithium-ion batteries found in EVs.

Eben Lovatt, Moneyshake CEO, said: “In order to protect your electric car’s battery life this summer, keep it in the shade as long as possible, especially when charging.

“Rapid charging your car at a station without shelter should especially be avoided, as the accelerated electrical currents combined with hot weather can damage your battery in the long term.

“If you are going to charge your EV in the summer, choose a slower charger such as a standard 7kW unit and try to keep the car out of the sun.”

Cold weather may also negatively affect electric vehicles.

Batteries will operate less efficiently and drivers will get fewer miles out of them in cold weather.

Motorists can experience a drop of anything between 10 and 20 percent in total range for some models.

Drivers should also expect overnight charging to take an extra couple of hours in cold weather.

Similarly, rapid charging could take up to 45 minutes rather than the usual 30.

Charging points can also be affected by cold weather.

Tesla has stated that extremely cold weather can result in slower charging speeds at its dedicated Supercharger stations.

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