It was great to see the photo earlier today that looks like a P85D delivered to a customer. I hope this is what it seems and you all get your cars very soon.
I can understand why there is frustration with Tesla's communication. It's an area they can improve on.
That said, I think it's worth bearing in mind, that it's been a week or so of delay, and we don't know what's been going on behind the scenes. Tesla and it's communications receive intense media scrutiny and are often misrepresented in a flood of media coverage for a variety of reasons. It may be that Tesla has been trying to negotiate with the EPA what is on the Monroney, sticker, and what Tesla is at liberty to discuss with the public about it. I am fairly confident that the 85D and P85D will achieve the 65 mph ranges Tesla had on it's website for the past month or so. That the EPA ratings have confused some here who follow Tesla so closely and are actually purchasing the car to the point of their thinking that the those 65 mph range readings have changed, is indicative of how much interest Tesla has in releasing the EPA numbers in a manner that does not lead to the misunderstanding that the company's claim of increased efficiency at the October 9th event is false. That is, if those following Tesla without an agenda to damage the company have misunderstood the implications of those EPA numbers, imagine what those who would like to damage the company might do with the EPA numbers. It appears the car is more efficient in some driving circumstances, less efficient in others... but in the one where range matters, it appears the car does indeed have better efficiency and range. I believe Tesla is pro-actively working to keep that point from being buried in misleading coverage. I get that those of you waiting for your cars would rather they just pro-actively get you a date for your car. I'm sure I'd feel some of that too if I were in your shoes. What's more, I think Tesla would have done better early on to say increased efficiency in highway driving, some lost efficiency in city driving.
Finally, this is speculation, but if Tesla was attempting to negotiate with the EPA, you can be sure the kind of media frenzy and misrepresentation of information we saw with the Broder NYT "article" and the vehicle fires (including misrepresentations of Tesla's responses once those stories broke) would have disrupted constructive discussions with the EPA.
Tesla can do better with communications. At the same time, Tesla would be foolish not to have learned how careful they have to be communicating about information susceptible to a media firestorm.
I suspect we'll see a Tesla blog on all this very soon... perhaps later tonight.
Enjoy your cars when you get them, and please don't forget to write us about your experiences with the car!
