EV owners have to be completely aware of severe battery failure could destroy any resale value of those cars. The reputation of any EV brand could at risk with the general car buying public. Any completely discharged Tesla would be difficult to recharged/restarted and even to be pushed/towed along the street, requiring flatbed towing. Battery depletion has to be a constant concern for any Tesla owner/future buyer.
Unplugged or even insufficient current in recharging can deplete the battery charge and essentially destroy it. Teslas are always 'on', with parasitic maintenance subsystems continually working. Tesla warns that it takes 10-11 weeks of inactivity to completely discharge its batteries. Without replenishing them, will totally disable the vehicle. Long airport parking or defective/accidentally pulled extension cords in their garages are typical scenarios, creating disastrous results. When a Tesla battery does totally discharge, it cannot be recharged and would have to be replaced. Replacement costs are estimated to be 40K!!! Reports of disabled Roadsters are kept quiet but these unfortunate Tesla owners are claiming that Tesla warranties does not offer financial relief and requires them to pay for brand new batteries. Overseas Teslas are having these problems because of voltage incompatibility and are being returned. Typical auto insurance does not cover or even offer additional policies to cover this potential failure. Tesla does have a $12K battery replacement plan but interestingly it does not cover accidentally discharged batteries! Pay up, then you can get it back on the road.
Everyone with Teslas (Roadsters, for now) have to fundamentally understand that you have vehicles that could be rendered useless w/ discharges and there is NO way of monetary protection when it happens.
the understatement