The estimated maximum range of Tesla cars allegedly does not correspond to reality
According to some estimates, it is as much as 26 percent lower than the company states
The company was supposed to create a special team to keep customer complaints secret
Tesla electric cars are among the most famous vehicles in their industry, which paved the way for their mass distribution. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, the company has experienced a meteoric rise, and even if in many cases it does not meet the set dates for the start of production or deliveries of some models and still has not successfully solved the problems with the delivery of vehicles to the market, it is doing well. Although Tesla vehicles have a number of problems, their users are often very satisfied with them and are happy to forgive them for a fault.
Is Tesla’s maximum range overrated?
About ten years ago, however, Tesla introduced a practice that has the potential to damage not only the company’s reputation, but also electric cars in general. Many users worry about the maximum possible range, which is less for electric cars than for vehicles with internal combustion engines. According to Reuters information, however, in this regard, Tesla deliberately lied to its customers – it is said that it intentionally stated a greater range when the battery was charged to more than 50 percent, while after the charge dropped below this value, the vehicle began to rapidly adjust the range closer to real values.
Are you interested in the real range of Tesla? For some models, it should be overrated by up to 26%.
This naturally resulted in a number of complaints from customers. While most companies would go to the market with the so-called skin and admit wrongdoing, in Tesla under the leadership of Elon Musk, they allegedly chose a different strategy. A special “subversive team” was to be created, which had one single task – to suppress all mentions of poor mileage and to cancel the scheduled service visits of the affected customers without further ado. In the offices, after each canceled service meeting on the topic of driving distance, the employees celebrated with thunderous applause, while the managers assured them that they were doing the right thing and claimed that with each canceled meeting they saved the company 1,000 dollars (approx. 22 thousand crowns).
In most cases, customers did not receive any repairs, and the company continued with its marketing activities, in which it advertised much longer ranges than the car was realistically capable of, which was confirmed more than once by independent tests. “Elon wanted the cars to show great range on a full charge. When you see a range of 550 to 650 kilometers on the dashboard, you’ll feel good about it.” a Reuters source said.
On the one hand, the juggling act with Tesla’s maximum range is understandable – many customers have completely odd concerns about running out of power before reaching the charger, which in many cases is a big psychological block against buying an electric car. On the other hand, deliberately deceiving the customer and actively suppressing their legitimate complaints is a practice that should have no place in a decent company.
Fine from the regulator
Tesla was fined by South Korea’s regulator earlier this year after its vehicles had about half the range they reported in cold weather. Also, some studies claim that Tesla’s three models have an average range of 26 percent less than the company claims. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has already ordered Tesla to report a 3 percent lower mileage on average from 2020, which some say still doesn’t correspond to reality. According to data collected between 2020 and 2023 by an analytical company from Seattle, electric cars, for example, still do not take into account the ambient temperature when calculating the range, which can have a significant effect on the maximum range.
All electric cars have a problem with the maximum range, but Tesla has by far the most
However, creative calculation of the maximum range is not only the domain of Tesla. Gregory Pannone, co-author studies involving of 21 different brands, confirmed that, on average, EVs have a maximum range of approximately 12.5 percent less than they claim. Although he did not mention the names of specific vehicles in his study, he made an exception in the case of Tesla – the three tested models of the American car company had a real range of 26 percent less, which is why they ranked unopposed in the last place.
Most drivers do not have to deal with the maximum range
As with cars with internal combustion engines, the maximum range is affected by a number of factors, many of which are the same for both types of drive. The difference, however, is in the impact of these external factors – this impact is often much greater on electric cars. Although concerns about the maximum range are often odd in practice, for many customers they represent an irrational scarecrow that, in a way, forces automakers to “adjust” the maximum range.
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In the Czech Republic, a passenger car is most often used for trips to work or for shopping, for which a range of around 500 kilometers is definitely not needed. According to a 2019 survey by the Nielsen Atmosphere agency for the credit company Profi Credit, more than half of Czechs (55 percent) live within ten kilometers of their workplace. Only 6 percent of respondents travel more than 50 kilometers for work, and only one percent overcomes a distance of 100 kilometers. The average distance to work is 18 kilometers.
Author of the article
Michael Chrobok
Mobile technology enthusiast, amateur photographer, casual athlete and urban cyclist. In his free time, he likes to travel, play a game, or immerse himself in the world of The Witcher or Star Trek.
2023-07-30 17:30:00
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