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Freezing Chicago Cold Leaves Desperate EV Owners Unable To Charge Their Cars, Sparks Concerns Of "EV Armageddon"

Amid the frigid grip of winter in the Windy City, Chicago's electric vehicle (EV) owners found themselves facing an unexpected challenge. As 
temperatures plummeted to negative double digits, their cherished EVs stood helpless, struggling to charge at Tesla supercharger stations across the 
city. This unprecedented cold snap unleashed what some have dubbed an "EV Armageddon," but behind the headlines, the resilience of EV enthusiasts 
shines through.

EVs, known for their environmental appeal and futuristic allure, proved to be less than ideal companions when faced with the unforgiving winter 
chill. Unlike their gasoline counterparts, the charging process of EVs relies on a chemical reaction that becomes sluggish in freezing temperatures, 
hampering the charging speed and reducing their range. As the mercury dipped, fast charging became a nearly impossible task.

Fox Chicago captured the scene as desperate Tesla owners converged on the Oak Brook neighborhood supercharger station, forming long lines of vehicles 
waiting for a lifeline of electricity. Abandoned cars stood as grim reminders of the ongoing battle between man and nature, where the frigid cold 
emerged as the clear victor.

One weary Chicago resident, who had spent hours at the charging station, expressed his frustration, saying, "Nothing. No juice. Still on zero 
percent." He recounted his ordeal, having endured a similar fate the previous day. The struggle was real, and it seemed as though the odds were 
stacked against the beleaguered EV owners.

Another Tesla owner echoed the sentiment, describing the situation as a "disaster." She lamented, "This is crazy. It's a disaster. Seriously." Yet 
another frustrated owner humorously referred to the silent, unresponsive EVs as "dead robots" scattered across the station.

Local outlet WGN shared the plight of a Tesla owner who relied on his vehicle for work, driving for Uber. He spoke of the agony caused by the 
battery's limited range and the extended charging times in the biting cold, stating, "It's horrible. ... It takes two hours to charge, then the 
charge leaves really quickly, so now you're back at the charger twice a day."

However, Mark Bilek of the Chicago Auto Trade Association offered a glimmer of hope. He explained that the charging problem could be resolved with 
the simple push of a button, emphasizing the need for EV owners to familiarize themselves with their vehicles. Bilek clarified, "Like any new 
technology, there's a learning curve for people." He continued, "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."

The challenge lies in the fact that many EVs limit their batteries' fast-charging capability in extreme cold to protect the battery from potential 
damage. Preconditioning becomes essential to ensure the battery reaches the optimal temperature, making charging safer for the vehicle.

An expert explained, "If you're in cold weather, it's actually going to activate the thermal management to heat up that battery. And so the goal 
would be by the time you get to the charger, the battery is warm enough that it doesn't matter what the temperature is outside."

Despite potential solutions, the issue posed a significant hurdle for Tesla owners in the city. Videos shared online captured the eerie sight of a 
supercharger station filled with non-functioning EVs, dubbing it an "EV Armageddon" on Chicago's south side. 


In the end, as Chicagoans battle the icy grip of winter, electric vehicle enthusiasts are learning to adapt to the challenges posed by extreme cold. 
While the "EV Armageddon" may be a temporary setback, the determination of these owners to embrace a greener future remains unwavering, even in the 
face of nature's harshest tests.

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November:

Six Dead As Record Snowfall Hits South Korea
Farmers In Northern China Struggle During Record Cold/Snow
Harsh Chill Grips India
Canada At -40.6c, Greenland Sees -56.3c
America's Arctic Outbreak
Record Snows Hit Siberia And Russian Far East
ECMWF Forecasts Cold Winter For Europe
Half Of China Registers Record Low Temps, Snow Records Broken
NH Snow Cover Steps Up
Greenland's 20-Year Cooling Trend
Record Russia Snow
Seoul's Heaviest November Snow Since Records Began (In 1907)
Arctic Blast To Impact 230 Million Americans
India's Cold Wave
Israel's First Snows Of The Season
31 Inches Hit Ukraine
Parts Of Russia Buried
Big White: Northern Hemisphere Burial
Record Cold Headed For Greenland
France Sees Heavy Snow
Turkey Blanketed
Winter Arrives In The U.S.
Record Snowfall In Calgary
Beijing Braces For Cold Wave
Cold, Snowy Europe
England's Lowest Temp Since 2014
Ireland Hits Record Electric Demand
Fierce Winter Forecast For India
Record Snow Clips The U.S.
UK Issued Fresh Snow Warnings
Global Cooling And Storminess
New Nature Study Reveals Early-20th-Century Oceans Were Warmer, Challenging AGW Narratives
Record Cold And Heavy Snow Grip The UK
Norway Chills
Harsh Freeze Sweeps Siberia And Mongolia
New Study: Decades Of Stable Greenland Temperatures Undermine Climate Alarm
U.S. Snow Spreading East
UK Snow Builds, Farmers Protest Regardless
Mountain Snowpack Above Average
Winter Deepens Across India
Europe: Record Lows, Snowstorms, And Power Cuts
Feet Upon Feet Of U.S. Snow
Greenland's Above-Average Start To The Season
La Niña Winter Inbound, Say NOAA
Northern Hemisphere Snow Cover Set To Explode
Blanket Of White In The West, More To Come
India Chills
Heavy Snow To Batter Western U.S.
Accumulations In Kashmir
Big Freeze And Heavy Snow To Hit Europe
Yakutia's Deep Freeze
South Africa's First Major November Snow Since 1939
Snowfall Records Approached In New Mexico And Colorado
Northern Hemisphere Snow Mass Above 1982-2012 Average
4 Feet Of Snow To Hit New Mexico, Warnings Issued
Al Gore Copes
Summer Snow In South Africa
Cold Crop Woes In New Zealand
There's Snow Atop Mt. Fuji
Heavy Snowfall Hits Northern China
Saudi Arabia Deserts See Their First Ever Snow
Global Temperatures Cooled In October
Imd Forecasts Severe Winter For India
Russia Suffers -40.1c
Britain Importing Record Amounts Of Electricity
October Snows Blanket Whitehorse
Record Halloween Snow For Anchorage
Europe Set For Severe Winter As Siberian Snowfall Builds
Early Winter Hits Northern Europe
Heavy, Disruptive Snows Sweep Morocco
Mt Hutt, Nz, Could Reopen After A Meter Of Spring Snow
Early Snows Hit Pakistan
Alaska's Record-Breaking October Snowfall
Expanding Polar Sea Ice
Heavy Spring Snowfall Hits New Zealand
Eastern Russia Buried
Early Snow Blankets Mauna Kea