As a result of the recent Arctic freeze, which left their door handles frozen shut and the electric vehicles unable to charge, irate Tesla owners are berating the firm for how their high-end cars are not operating in extreme weather.
“Bet ya didn’t think of ice in the Tesla design,” Canadian meteorologist Rachel Modestino wrote alongside a now-viral video of her Tesla door handle refusing to budge. The footage was shared on Dec. 23, when temperates in Ontario hit a low of 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the comments section of the video, which has received over 10 million views, other Twitter users quickly offered her advice.
“Okay, this went off…Not meant to dig Elon (I love my car),” she replied to the influx of responses. “I learnt: unlatch capability, defrost longer, be less gentle with your 2nd baby & car covers. [Thank you] for the help, be kind, Merry Christmas.”
OKAY, this went off… Not meant to dig Elon (I love my car). Only tweeted because I thought it was a silly flaw for the price. I learnt: unlatch capability, defrost longer, be less gentle with your 2nd baby & car covers. Ty for the help, be kind, Merry Christmas
— Rachel Modestino TWN (@ThatMetGirl) December 24, 2022
Not meant to dig Elon (I love my car),” she replied to the influx of responses. “I learnt: unlatch capability, defrost longer, be less gentle with your 2nd baby & car covers. [Thank you] for the help, be kind, Merry Christmas.”
Modestino wasn’t the only Tesla owner who was abandoned over the weekend though. Due to his Tesla S’s inability to charge in the subzero temps, Domenick Nati of Virginia was forced to change his holiday plans.
“Two hours went by and not much changed,” the radio presenter told Business Insider of the Friday night ordeal, when temperatures hovered around minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
“It was very slow and the numbers got lower as the temperature dropped. Eventually, it stopped charging altogether.”
Later, Nati attempted to charge the car at home with similarly poor results after documenting his troubles in a TikTok video.
Nati was unable to spend Christmas Day with his son since there were no Ubers or Lyfts operating in his region.
He admitted to Business Insider that he made an effort to get in touch with Tesla but didn’t hear back from them.
Complaints about how poorly the Tesla model performs in cold weather are only the most recent breach in the clean energy automaker’s armor as its stock continues to fall and CEO Elon Musk shifts his attention to his new position at Twitter.
Musk, though, warned staff members against the “stock market madness” in an email on Wednesday. He ordered employees to use every effort to complete vehicle deliveries by the end of the quarter.
“Please go all out for the next few days and volunteer to help deliver if at all possible. It will make a real difference!” he wrote.
