You bought it
2023-07-03 00:51:04 UTC
Joe Biden says, "Tough shit, I drive a Corvette with a truck full of
secret papers.
Dennis Hegstad said his Model 3 was stuck in his driveway after itssecret papers.
12-volt battery died.
The Tesla owner attributes the issue to the impact of the Texas summer
heat on the battery.
He had to get his EV towed and called the issue "annoying as hell."
A Tesla owner said he was locked out of his Model 3 in his driveway
after the 12-volt battery, which powers the car's smaller functions
including windows and doors, died last week amid the Texas summer heat.
The low-voltage battery is not only crucial for powering smaller
electronics in the car, but also for charging the EVs main battery pack
and the Tesla can't charge without it, requiring a jump much like a
traditional gas-powered car.
"What do you do when it's so hot your @tesla won't respond to the mobile
app or physical key?" Dennis Hegstad, the founder of a startup, wrote on
Twitter. "I can't open the car or move the car to reach a charging
point."
In a video that showed him unsuccessfully trying to get into the EV with
his Tesla key card, Hegstad said his 2018 Model 3 had about 130 miles of
range left when he woke up that morning. He also posted a photo from the
Tesla app showing that it "could not find vehicle" to unlock it.
"Confusing situation when you need to leave to be somewhere @elonmusk,"
Hegstad tweeted.
Tesla's don't have traditional keys so the key card uses short range
radio signals to communicate with the car and unlock the door.
Hegstad told Insider he later found out that the Tesla's 12-volt battery
had died. It works alongside the much larger lithium-ion battery pack
and powers smaller functions inside the vehicle, including the interior
lights, door locks, and windshield wipers. As of last year, Tesla has
begun sending push notifications to owners when it's time for the
battery to be replaced Hegstad said he doesn't remember receiving the
notification. Newer Model 3 cars also have a 16-volt lithium-ion battery
instead of a 12-volt.
While Hegstad said Tesla didn't confirm how the battery died, Hegstad
thinks it could be due to the high Texas heat, which ranged from 80 to
96 degrees Fahrenheit in Austin on June 21. Hot weather conditions are
known to decrease a batteries life span, reduce the range of an EV, and
increase the amount of time it takes the vehicle to recharge.
Ultimately, Hegstad said on Twitter that the issue was "annoying as
hell" and added that he felt he'd overpaid for the car by about $15,000
amid recent Tesla price cuts.
"Some buyer remorse," he said on Twitter.
The Tesla owner said he had to spend about $200 to have the electric car
towed to Tesla and was essentially stuck until the tow truck arrive
because the dead Model 3 was blocking in his gas-powered car. But,
before he called a tow truck, Hegstad said on Twitter that he tried all
manner of things to get the car back up and running from hosing it
down to cool it off to attempting to jump the 12-volt battery and wasn't
even able to get the access point to the charging port open. He also
noted that he had kept the vehicle in the shade and had used Tesla's
cabin overheat protection system, a function that prevents a Tesla's
interior temperature from exceeding 105 degrees.
Hegstad told Insider he got his Model 3 back under 24 hours after
reporting the issue and spent about $117 to replace the 12-volt battery.
Luckily, the Tesla's much more expensive main battery pack was still
intact. Insider viewed Hegstad's invoice from Tesla, confirming the
battery issue and its resolution.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from
Insider ahead of publication.
Hegstad is not the first Tesla owner to report issues with getting into
his EV. Last year, a Tesla owner went viral on TikTok after he said he
was locked out of his Model S after the lithium-ion battery died.
"BlackBerry" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" actor Glenn
Howerton was also locked out of his Tesla last year after his key fob
was unable to connect to WiFi on the lowest level of a Los Angeles
parking garage.
https://news.yahoo.com/tesla-owner-says-locked-ev-100500127.html