'No one knew what to do': Teslas abandoned and towed after heading to frozen charging station

Tesla drivers around Chicago waited hours to charge their cars in frigid temperatures, with some needing their vehicles towed due to a dead battery. Other drivers were led by their vehicles to a charging station that was completely inoperable.

Electric vehicles were lined up at a charging station in Evergreen Park, Illinois, where some of the charging stations weren't working, while others reportedly took more than double the typical time for a charge.

"I've been here for over five hours at this point, and I still have not gotten to charge my car," a Tesla driver told CBS News. "A charge that should take 45 minutes is taking two hours."

The same driver said he saw at least 10 cars get towed from the parking lot.

ABC 7 Chicago's Diane Pathieu reported from another Chicago-area Tesla charging station in Oak Brook, Illinois. Approximately 20 Teslas were dead and stranded at the station due to the chargers simply not working.

"We talked to a driver here in Oak Brook where we are, who tried to call Tesla for help, and nothing," Pathieu stated, from the inside of a likely gas-powered vehicle.

"Yesterday I was here and there was just lines of cars, but there was only a couple charging, working, but they seemed very disorganized, like no one knew what to do," explained Tesla owner John Baldys.

Baldys also explained that the Teslas themselves directed drivers to the inoperable charging station.

"A lot of people were just led here by their cars. So they were abandoned, basically."

Tesla has advised owners to maintain their battery charge levels above 20% during extreme cold weather.

Chicago has hovered around 0 degrees Fahrenheit during a bitter storm, with wind chills making it feel as low as -18.

A Tesla support article also advised drivers to "precondition" their batteries before charging when the weather is around freezing temperatures.

"The intention of preconditioning is to raise the temperature of your Tesla’s battery to an appropriate temperature prior to charging," the website noted. The process can take up to 30 minutes before charging and will also "consume electricity to warm the battery while not drawing current to charge the battery."

Tesla also encouraged the use of "Chill Mode," which "moderately limits" the vehicle's acceleration to preserve energy.

As well, according to the Tesla Model 3 owner's manual online, the "charge port latch may freeze in place" in lower temperatures.

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