Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green
BBC responds to Tesla's Top Gear complaints
Click the image above to watch Top Gear's review of the Tesla Roadster after the jump
We've been following the roller-coaster ride that Top Gear's recent test of the Tesla Roadster has turned into with interest. Since Clarkson's video review first aired, reactions to the way the Tesla was presented have been mixed, and much of the debate has centered on one particular scene where the Top Gear crew can be seen pushing one of their Tesla test-cars into the garage after apparently running out of juice... except that it never happened. The BBC has released a statement admitting that Clarkson's tester still had power left and the scene was filmed to show what would happen if the battery had actually been depleted. Regardless, "Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested."
So far, we've heard no word on whether offering "a fair representation" includes future reviews of petrol-powered cars that include scenes of each one being pushed into the garage after not running out of gas. Thanks for the tip, Doug!
[Source: Register Hardware]
Video:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
matt 8:35PM (12/22/2008)
it was shady of Top Gear to do that...I would imagine the battery would have ran out eventually being how much they were pushing the car. I still think most of the review is legitimate, but it does call their ethics into question.
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Eric Bandholz 9:55PM (12/22/2008)
Correct me if I am wrong, but when they reviewed the GT40 didn't it "run out of gas." (after 10 minutes I found the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74yaIAHwtbo) They do run out of gas @ the 7:25 mark in the vid.
I don't question their ethics. I think the loyal viewers can tell when they are making a point through exaggeration.
Seminole 10:50PM (12/22/2008)
Yeah it was kind of shady of them to pull what they did.
But even with their exaggerations in the Tesla review, what they said in the review of the FCX Clarity was still true. The whole workings of an electric car with having a limited range before stopping and having to be recharged, even if it is only 3.5 hours is still extremely inconvenient. The FCX is really the future.
Noidor 10:56PM (12/22/2008)
But has anyone asked what would have been the total mileage even if Tesla were could to be driven until batteries completely discharged? I doubt it would have been 200, or anywhere close.
saggy 11:40PM (12/22/2008)
Its not that this little "untruth" messed up their results. It just makes me question other little "factoids" I use to gather from episodes of top gear. I mean this was 1 episode with multiple, granted small, yet important, facts removed and glazed over. I wonder what other little facts have been left out of previous episodes. These little facts make big impressions! Sad but I still got love for TG
thomas 1:05AM (12/23/2008)
every car runs out of fuel...... thats what we have gauges for..... apparently sir clarkson forgot how to use one. its a new-fangled electric car after all, it probably has one of those super-state of the art-impossible for an old boy like himself to read types of gauges.
many people have never seen an actual tesla in action. until they've seen it first hand i recomend they stfu.
noz 2:29AM (12/23/2008)
That's because Clarkson is a douchebag and anything that doesn't have an IC engine isn't worthy.
Mike 4:07AM (12/23/2008)
It's not so shady as you might think. Run out of gas in a car and what do you do? Get AAA to bring you some gas, hoof it to the closest fueling station, put your thumb out and wait for a good samaritan to give you a ride to the closest fuel.
Not so simple with an electric like the Tesla. simply running out of charge becomes an ordeal. As you see the charge running low you can't simply stop at the next charging station and throw a few kilowatts in or top it off.
This is the simplest reason why the typical electric car is severely limited. The Volt will be the smartest answer to this problem to date. How it does in the real world remains to be seen, but it really does seem to be a well thought out, no compromises electric car.
noz 1:26PM (12/23/2008)
God forbid people actually use that grey mass between their eyes to have some forethought about what they plan to do when they leave the house.
If you drive an electric car, just like any other car, you use your brain to figure out if you can get to where you want to get to. That's a fact of life regarding ANYTHING we do....so why the added criticizm when it comes to electric or alternative vehicles?
Well...the answer to that can be found right here on these very forums. Just read some of the venemous responses by ignorant and uneducated fools on these forums who will criticize anything that has to do with either hybrids or electrics.
Clarkson just criticizes crap he doesn't like. Sometimes it's justified...but in this case, he's the usual douche he's known for being.
V1S 8:40PM (12/22/2008)
Everyone knows Top Gear is staged -- it's an ENTERTAINMENT show. Did you people think Clarkson actually turned up at that uptight party and drove that Rolls-Royce into the pool? Give me a break
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tankd0g 9:20PM (12/22/2008)
The word you are looking for is "scripted".
Jake 9:22AM (12/23/2008)
Yet, in every other discussion on here someone quotes what they saw on Top Gear as evidence to back up their point.
The show is probably scripted and designed for entertainment, but it seems to be billed as some sort of authority on automobiles.
This is just deliberately misleading and, judging by previous experience, I would expect the BBC to stand behind and defend such things and consider them a "fair representation".
Pete 8:44PM (12/22/2008)
The sad thing is that a show like Top Gear has alot of influence on the mind of viewers and the fact they showed that part where the car is being pushed will stick in peoples mind as what a electric car is. I'm certain it's not, but people will still remember that part over all the positive things a electric car could bring to the planet and to the owners wallet...
I love Top Gear but we all have to remember that as intertaining and educative as it may be, it's still a SHOW and Jeremy had to do a SHOW with the Tesla.
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MajorGeek 8:46PM (12/22/2008)
Top Gear is entertaining, without these sort of stunts. Reminds me of this guy who writes for PC Magazine, John Davorak. He writes crap to incite people and has actually seems to believe his own lies. At some point, its no longer entertainment, but a lie. I would love the show even more if they did not do things like this, as it is his blatant bias on any review seems pretty obvious.
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Derek 8:46PM (12/22/2008)
Waaaah. Top Gear never actually says they ran out of charge, just that they calculated it would take 55mi of track driving to do so and *IF* it ran out, it would take a long time to recharge. Duh. Is Tesla claiming that they can refuel as quickly or as easily as a gas powered car? If not, then shut up and go home to work out how to make it charge that fast.
The car ran an entirely respectable time in the Stigs hands and showed its speed vs its parent Elise. Everyone knows that recharge time is the problem with any all electric car, so what's to complain about?
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jake 8:56PM (12/22/2008)
Well, there's the part where they blatantly lied about it running out of charge...
Anyways the Tesla spokesperson didn't make that big a deal out of it, they still recognized overall it was a positive review, they just clarified some part of the review which Top Gear altered a bit (most Top Gear fans would say it's for "entertainment"). It didn't seem like they were angry, seems like they just wanted to clarify.
Derek 8:08AM (12/23/2008)
"Well, there's the part where they blatantly lied about it running out of charge..."
Watch the clip again. Just before 5:00. They "calculated" it would run out in 55 miles.
jim 8:51PM (12/22/2008)
It's funny they emphasized the price of the car but didn't even mention the price of their precious hydrogen car.
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tankd0g 9:13PM (12/22/2008)
I think you better watch it again.
Hike15 8:58PM (12/22/2008)
the hydrogen car, the clarity, is only available for lease anyways
and that's also more futuristic technology which still is being developed
it also needs more of an infrastructure to succeed