Tesla’s vehicles offer some of the most impressive range estimates in the business, but a new report from Reuters outlines how those numbers might have been inflated and customer concerns about them silenced.
Reuters’ investigation found that Tesla formed a special internal team to seek out and cancel service appointments related to battery performance and range. Owners reported booking service visits to check battery health, only to receive messages that their vehicles were fine and that Tesla would like their appointments canceled. The automaker formed a “Diversion Team” to handle the thwarting because its service locations couldn’t keep up with requests from disappointed customers whose vehicles failed to deliver the expected range numbers.
The report claims that Tesla rigged its vehicles’ range software to project more generous distances than were accurate. The software would show more accurate range estimates when the batteries got down below a 50-percent charge. The vehicles also had a range buffer that enabled around 15 miles of driving after the range estimate reached zero. Interestingly, other EVs tested showed more accurate range estimates, and the Hyundai Kona was even found to underestimate its range.
Though shocking and potentially damaging to Tesla, it’s important to note that Reuters couldn’t pin down whether or not the automaker is continuing this practice today. The range manipulation allegedly took place in Tesla’s early days, when it offered only the Roadster and Model S. Today’s Tesla vehicles are still among the most generous from a range perspective but were still found to inadequately account for temperature changes by third-party testers.
The company has faced legal action in South Korea because its vehicles lost more than a quarter of their range in cold weather. Of course, Tesla isn’t alone in that regard, as temperature extremes impact the ranges of all electric vehicles. Driving style, road conditions, and terrain (hills, etc.) can also reduce range, as can using the vehicle’s climate controls.
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