Tesla Owner Locked Out of His Car After EV Battery Died Amid Texas Heat
It appears that the electric vehicle has a long way to go before it can save the planet.
On Sunday, Business Insider reported that a Tesla Model 3 owner in Texas lost access to his EV when the vehicle’s 12-volt battery died.
An extreme heat wave in the Lone Star State — hardly a rare occurrence — could be to blame for the dead battery.
Dennis Hegstad, the vehicle owner and a businessman with more than 95,000 followers on Twitter, took his complaint directly to Tesla CEO Elon Musk via Twitter.
On June 21, Hegstad posted to Musk’s Twitter a 17-second video of himself attempting in vain to open his EV using the key card.
Hegstad’s accompanying tweet expressed frustration: “what do you do when it’s so hot your @tesla won’t respond to the mobile app or physical key? I can’t open the car or move the car to reach a charging point. I had 130 mile range this morning 7 hours ago. Confusing situation when you need to leave to be somewhere @elonmusk.”
what do you do when it’s so hot your @tesla won’t respond to the mobile app or physical key? I can’t open the car or move the car to reach a charging point.
I had 130 mile range this morning 7 hours ago
Confusing situation when you need to leave to be somewhere @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/VrmDNuj9ml
— dennis hegstad (@dennishegstad) June 21, 2023
The next day, Hegstad explained that towing and other costs would amount to hundreds of dollars.
“Annoying as hell,” he tweeted.
Can’t go to Tesla service when my car is stuck in the garage behind my dead Tesla lol. I had to get the Tesla towed to service center ($200) and then whatever other random fees that come along with it. Probably $275-$500 all in. Annoying as hell.
— dennis hegstad (@dennishegstad) June 22, 2023
A few hours later, still dissatisfied, Hegstad elaborated on costs and his overall experience with Tesla.
“I was on tesla model 3 early reservation/deposit since 2015/16, then in 2018 i declined 2 deliveries due to poor quality, Nov 2018 I finally took the 3rd delivery as it was OK,” he said. “I overpaid for the car by — 15K since the price has come down a lot. Some buyers remorse.”
I was on tesla model 3 early reservation/deposit since 2015/2016, then in October 2018 i declined 2 deliveries due to poor quality, Nov 2018 I finally took the 3rd delivery as it was OK. I overpaid for the car by ~$15k since the price has come down a lot. Some buyers remorse.
— dennis hegstad (@dennishegstad) June 22, 2023
Customer dissatisfaction hardly rates as newsworthy. Hegstad and Tesla can address that issue.
This is a story about power and trust.
There are three types of people represented in this otherwise innocuous tale of a man and his malfunctioning vehicle.
First, there are the world’s elites who insist that the planet faces a climate crisis. One way to solve this crisis, they tell us from their private jets and yachts, is for the masses to switch from gasoline- to electric-powered vehicles.
Second, there are those like Hegstad, people of some means but not jet-setting-to-Davos-type means, who switch to EVs and bear the initial cost of the experiment.
Third, there are those who have not switched to EVs.
The issue has little to do with EVs as a product. One hopes that someday they might become reliable and affordable.
Until then, those of us in the third category are likely to view the negative experiences of those in the second category as confirmation of what we already know about the people in the first category.
In short, when the people in the first category make claims about crises and solutions, the people in the third category do not trust them; they have learned not to trust them.
Thus, when the people in the first category attempt to mandate their products and solutions, as they inevitably do, the people in the third category have good reason to resist.
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