A brother and sister had to stop 6 times in 1 day to charge their rented Tesla in cold weather because the battery drained so quickly

• A brother and sister rented a Tesla and found they had to stop six times in one day to charge it.
• Xaviar Steavenson and his sister Alice drove from Orlando, Florida to Wichita, Kansas.

Xaviar and Alice Steavenson wanted to find out what it's like to drive a Tesla, so they rented one from Hertz for a road trip from Orlando, Florida to Wichita, Kansas.

They knew that the electric car would need charging en route, but what the siblings did not expect was just how often they'd need to plug it in.

They realized it would take longer to charge the car after the weather turned so cold in late December.

However, it got to the point that the "battery would drain faster than it would charge," Xaviar told Insider.

When they set off they could drive for at least two and a half hours before needing to charge the Tesla. "We ended up having to stop every one to one and a half hours to charge for an hour, then an hour and a half, then two hours," he said.

"So beyond the lost time, it also got to the point it was between $25 and $30 to recharge. Just in one day, we stopped six times to charge at that cost," Xaviar said.

Hertz said on its website that renting a Tesla was "always cheaper than gas," according to Xaviar, but he said that claim was far from the truth.

The first time the siblings called Hertz, Xaviar said the agent told him he'd had "had nothing but Tesla calls today – I have no idea why they're having issues."

A spokesperson for Hertz told Insider: "We have not experienced a significant increase in communication from customers about the battery of their EV rentals. However, battery range varies by vehicle manufacturer and can be influenced by multiple factors including weather and driving conditions."

The Steavensons were not alone in experiencing Tesla charging problem in very cold weather. A 44-year-old radio presenter, from Lynchburg in eastern Virginia, told Insider it was 19 degrees (minus 7 C) when he was left stranded just before Christmas because his Model S wouldn't charge.

Xaviar said Hertz told him to go to the closest branch to get a new car. "However, they don't have Teslas there or not even the equivalent, so I'm headed back in a Nissan Rogue Sport – at least it's economical."

Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment from Insider.