I was listening to the podcast "Plug Your Ride" today, and heard the hosts criticize Tesla for "lying" about their car's range. It was the second week in a row they have made a similar comment. I was going to write them an email, taking exception to that language, and maybe tell them that EPA regs required posting the rated range (if I could verify that), but wanted to see what the Tesla website says about range before I wrote my email.
I was disappointed in what I found. The US version of the Tesla website states the range for each of the three models with apparently no caveats, no explanation, no reference to the EPA standards, etc. There is simply a flat statement of the range. I assume the stated range is as determined by EPA but that is not indicated. I looked around and did some searches in the "Support" page's search tool, but found nothing that gave any caveats or explanations of how range might vary by temperature, speed, or elevation change. The only hint at that is a fairly broad, vague paragraph in the FAQs about winter driving.
I seem to recall that the website used to have a page that had a range calculator that showed how range varied with speed. I could no longer find that. (Am I imagining that there used to be more information? I have been looking at the web site since 2014, and I am sure it has gone through many changes over the years....)
Unless I missed something -- and that is possible, but I spent several minutes trying to be sure I looked wherever a prospective buyer might be led -- Tesla seems to do a poor job of preparing new owners for how their range will vary, which could help to explain the numerous posts I have seen (here on TMC and elsewhere) by new owners complaining or asking about the difference between the posted range and their experience.
Tesla seems to have reduced the information they make available to prospective buyers, at least in obvious places on their website. If so, they are doing a disservice to those buyers. Hence, even Tesla fans/owners like Eddie and Justin of "Plug Your Ride" feel like Tesla is "lying" -- perhaps a stretch, but Tesla certainly could and should do a better job of informing people of what to expect.
I was disappointed in what I found. The US version of the Tesla website states the range for each of the three models with apparently no caveats, no explanation, no reference to the EPA standards, etc. There is simply a flat statement of the range. I assume the stated range is as determined by EPA but that is not indicated. I looked around and did some searches in the "Support" page's search tool, but found nothing that gave any caveats or explanations of how range might vary by temperature, speed, or elevation change. The only hint at that is a fairly broad, vague paragraph in the FAQs about winter driving.
I seem to recall that the website used to have a page that had a range calculator that showed how range varied with speed. I could no longer find that. (Am I imagining that there used to be more information? I have been looking at the web site since 2014, and I am sure it has gone through many changes over the years....)
Unless I missed something -- and that is possible, but I spent several minutes trying to be sure I looked wherever a prospective buyer might be led -- Tesla seems to do a poor job of preparing new owners for how their range will vary, which could help to explain the numerous posts I have seen (here on TMC and elsewhere) by new owners complaining or asking about the difference between the posted range and their experience.
Tesla seems to have reduced the information they make available to prospective buyers, at least in obvious places on their website. If so, they are doing a disservice to those buyers. Hence, even Tesla fans/owners like Eddie and Justin of "Plug Your Ride" feel like Tesla is "lying" -- perhaps a stretch, but Tesla certainly could and should do a better job of informing people of what to expect.