Consumer Reports BIAS against Tesla. BOGUS RANGE ANSWER LIMITS FOR TESLA ON QUESTIONNAIRE

[AMPd]

The FIRST part of the survey was the make, model and year of my vehicles. 2020 Model X long range & 2021 Model S Plaid So I think it is fair to assume that they knew it was Tesla cars

I understand that, however, is it the same for other EV brands? Or are they allowed to input a higher range than 100 miles?

It honestly seems like an error rather than anything nefarious.

 

[Sam1]

I see a “$100k+” donation from the Ford foundation, which is fully and completely financially and operationally separate from the Ford Motor Company and has been for 50+ years.

I see no obvious donations from General Motors or related parties but I don’t know the names of many of their execs or any associated foundations.

You’ve made the claim that “50%” of CR’s operating revenue is provided by this “$100k+” donation and any others somehow attributable to GM, which is - yes - pure fantasy.

And again: Ford’s brands are #16 and #22 on the ranking list of 32 brands. If they’re buying influence, they’re doing a pretty terrible job at it.

The real numbers:
$233m revenue in 2022 from subscriptions and magazine sales.
$33m in revenue in 2022 from contributions and donations.

I’m not the best at math but I don’t think one of those numbers is 50% of the other.

Financial Report | Consumer Reports Annual Report 2022

The financial information in this report is derived from the audited financial statements.

www.consumerreports.org

I'm not getting into debating who does what, but that $233m says "other sales" which would include ad sales revenue, where all of the manufacturers would fall in. Need an itemized breakdown to make any assertions on where the funds come from. I can assure you that they are not selling $233m worth of magazines that only old people read, and online subs where people can view reviews for free on other websites.

 

[Doanster1]

I understand that, however, is it the same for other EV brands? Or are they allowed to input a higher range than 100 miles?

It honestly seems like an error rather than anything nefarious.

This. While I’m certainly not a CR fanboy, if this was intentional, do you really think they’d ever publish a new headline of “Tesla owners report max usable range to be only 100 miles!”? They’d be endlessly mocked and probably sued.

 

[ucmndd]

I'm not getting into debating who does what, but that $233m says "other sales" which would include ad sales revenue, where all of the manufacturers would fall in.

it’s irritating that I’m being put in the position of defending an organization I’m ambivalent about at best, but the tiniest bit of research would save you all a lot of typing.

Consumer reports doesn’t have any ad revenue as they DON’T SELL AD SPACE in their magazine or on their website.

They claim 6 million plus members, all of which pay a membership fee. If they’re claiming 233m in revenue, that’s a little less than $40 per member. AKA exactly what they charge for a membership (which they rarely if ever discount)…

Become a Member - Consumer Reports

Join over 6 million members making smarter decisions everyday.

www.consumerreports.org

 

[Sam1]

it’s irritating that I’m being put in the position of defending an organization I’m ambivalent about at best, but the tiniest bit of research would save you all a lot of typing.

Consumer reports doesn’t have any ad revenue as they DON’T SELL AD SPACE in their magazine or on their website.

They claim 6 million plus members, all of which pay a membership fee. If they’re claiming 233m in revenue, that’s a little less than $40 per member. AKA exactly what they charge for a membership (which they rarely if ever discount)…

Become a Member - Consumer Reports

Join over 6 million members making smarter decisions everyday.

www.consumerreports.org

Learned something new, thanks.

But I also care as little about it now, as I did 90 minutes ago.

 

[dmurphy]

I must self-correct and admit to a math mistake here. 310wh/mi is a hypothetical ~322 miles on a 100kwh usable battery, not 310.

The rest of my points still generally stand.

So right now in my ‘21 Model S LR, I’m showing 94kWh of usable battery. Since
I bought it in February, I’ve put 5455 miles on it at an average of 283wh/mi, so that’s an average of ~332 miles of realistic range.

Not bad for a 2 year old car driven at least partially in winter. And I’m not exactly a hypermiler - I do enjoy some velocity.

Quite close to the 335mi claimed by OP on a newer battery, so it’s not out of the realm of possible.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised how efficient this car is. Quite a bit better than my Model 4, which is kinda shocking. (I expected it to best the Model X by a lot, which it does.)

 

[dmurphy]

So right now in my ‘21 Model S LR, I’m showing 94kWh of usable battery. Since
I bought it in February, I’ve put 5455 miles on it at an average of 283wh/mi, so that’s an average of ~332 miles of realistic range.

Not bad for a 2 year old car driven at least partially in winter. And I’m not exactly a hypermiler - I do enjoy some velocity.

Quite close to the 335mi claimed by OP on a newer battery, so it’s not out of the realm of possible.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised how efficient this car is. Quite a bit better than my Model 4, which is kinda shocking. (I expected it to best the Model X by a lot, which it does.)

For the record, I have no idea what a Model 4 is aside from a typo... LOL.

 

[AMPd]

For the record, I have no idea what a Model 4 is aside from a typo... LOL.

Nice try! Show us the model 4!!

 

[dmurphy]

Nice try! Show us the model 4!!

Elon’s gonna be pissed, but OK … just don’t tell him, please. I’d prefer he send me to Mars WITH oxygen.

 

[dmurphy]

Nice try! Show us the model 4!!

Here we go …. Again keep this under wraps!!