Not a good look for Tesla: diversion team tactics to deal with range complaints

[fhteagle]

Reuters article about range complaints and tactics used to close cases. I get Tesla not wanting to have service centers choked with ghost hunts, but if some of what the article claims is true then I am pretty disappointed in Tesla. Things that can dramatically affect range like a bad alignment or failing tire will not show with remote diagnostics, for example. So closing cases and doing telemetry only diagnostics is not good enough.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range

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[Crissa]

Reuters article about range complaints and tactics used to close cases. I get Tesla not wanting to have service centers choked with ghost hunts, but if some of what the article claims is true then I am pretty disappointed in Tesla. Things that can dramatically affect range like a bad alignment or failing tire will not show with remote diagnostics, for example. So closing cases and doing telemetry only diagnostics is not good enough.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range

Telemetry would detect if someone needed to turn the wheel more in one direction than another.

And to get the full range, you have to drive past 0 to shutdown. Clearly, you don't want to do that, because you could get stranded. But that's what EPA range means.

-Crissa

 

[fhteagle]

Telemetry would detect if someone needed to turn the wheel more in one direction than another.

You can have a bad alignment without having steering angle offset, or even noticeable pulling. One of the first EVs I ever helped build had a toe angle so bad it cut the range by 1/3rd, but no pulling, shaking, or anything like that.

 

[CyberGus]

Range is highly variable.

 

[TheLastStarfighter]

Reuters article about range complaints and tactics used to close cases. I get Tesla not wanting to have service centers choked with ghost hunts, but if some of what the article claims is true then I am pretty disappointed in Tesla. Things that can dramatically affect range like a bad alignment or failing tire will not show with remote diagnostics, for example. So closing cases and doing telemetry only diagnostics is not good enough.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range

Anything like that would affect a gas car's range as much as an EV. Why isn't reuters doing a story on Ford or Toyota cars losing gas mileage because of missed alignments? Obviously because of bias, stupidity or because it doesn't generate clicks. Either way this stuff is trash.

 

[cvalue13]

Anything like that would affect a gas car's range as much as an EV. Why isn't reuters doing a story on Ford or Toyota cars losing gas mileage because of missed alignments? Obviously because of bias, stupidity or because it doesn't generate clicks. Either way this stuff is trash.

that wasn’t the story, that was OP’s editorial I think

 

[TheLastStarfighter]

that wasn’t the story, that was OP’s editorial I think

News is always a whisper game...

 

[ÆCIII]

I pay about as much attention to the news outlets as I do to an ant walking down the street.

News outlets and MSM stand to lose a lot in future advertising revenue if legacy auto shrinks, so they are going to be the most biased of any source out there against Tesla disrupting, so why pay any attention to them?

- ÆCIII

 

[scottf200]

User accessible 'service' menu has had a battery health test for over a year IIRC.

Wonder if this helps with those range test along with the new improved energy screen with 'range tips'.

 

[electricAK]

Read the Reuters article. Was pretty shocked at how aggressive its tone against Tesla is. This is obvious bias similar to the BS being published by Wired. To be clear I believe strongly in the importance of the media and journalism in general. But this article is so clearly a hit piece against one company and one company only. This is Fox News- level misinformation.

 

[jerhenderson]

Please. the entire story is BS. show me an OEM estimate that accurate based on speed estimates, altitude, temperature, weight, acceleration, etc.

 

[cvalue13]

Please. the entire story is BS. show me an OEM estimate that accurate based on speed estimates, altitude, temperature, weight, acceleration, etc.

I’m not trying to stand behind the veracity of the source of the story

but comments like these are irrelevant to the point of the story

the point of the story:

(1) while all BEVs range may vary downward from EPA-stated range/condition for obvious reasons, they do not all vary equally when subjected to ~identical conditions or averaged over multiple units

(2) for some period of time if not still, Tesla’s ranges were materially lower than other OWM’s when averaged as a class/subjected to test conditions

(3) the source claims that for a period Tesla intentionally included software that juiced the dashboard-reported numbers over the range expected by conditions

(4) and regarding claims by consumers with respect to the above, Tesla had a formal team for dealing with/suppressing those claims

*nothing* in the 4 summaries above disputes that range varies by conditions, and in fact (1)-(3) rely upon/assume that obvious point

again, not trying to defend or stand behind the varsity of the story/source. but strawman defenses do more to harm than better any reasonable critique of the story/source

 

[Sirfun]

I had one of my closest friends text me that article this morning. It was so obviously a hit peice that I didn't feel the need to read/wade through the trash.
My response was "yep, in all the time I've been waiting for a Cybertruck I've looked into a lot of this information". Generally, the EPA range estimates are very optimistic. They seem to be based on perfect weather, driving at 65mph, on a level highway. I'm anticipating driving at 75-80mph on the interstate to average about 75% of the EPA range estimates. But also, I explained supercharging isn't at a constant speed. Once the battery gets over about 80-85% it slows way down. It's different expectations than with gas.

 

[PilotPete]

The article is giving us breaking news from ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO! And their major evidence is someone who claims to be an ex-employee. Trust me, if you talk to my ex, I'm not a nice guy. And there might be some bias in what she tells you.

The other issue here is that maybe, just maybe, there is another way to look at it. MAYBE it really did cost TESLA $1,000 to see a customer in the maintenance dept. and MAYBE they had a customer service dept that was instructed to list to the customer and if they were just complaining they couldn't get the full 350 miles out of a full charge, but they got 90% of it, or even 85%, to explain to the customer all the things that could be affecting their range in a negative way. And MAYBE they rang a bell, or a xylophone, or even a glockenspiel when that happened. And that would have been a good thing to avoid clogging up maintenance bays with non-issues, and avoid sending the customer home after wasting a day off work to bring in the car. Exactly where is the downside to that???

 

[jerhenderson]

I’m not trying to stand behind the veracity of the source of the story

but comments like these are irrelevant to the point of the story

the point of the story:

(1) while all BEVs range may vary downward from EPA-stated range/condition for obvious reasons, they do not all vary equally when subjected to ~identical conditions or averaged over multiple units

(2) for some period of time if not still, Tesla’s ranges were materially lower than other OWM’s when averaged as a class/subjected to test conditions

(3) the source claims that for a period Tesla intentionally included software that juiced the dashboard-reported numbers over the range expected by conditions

(4) and regarding claims by consumers with respect to the above, Tesla had a formal team for dealing with/suppressing those claims

*nothing* in the 4 summaries above disputes that range varies by conditions, and in fact (1)-(3) rely upon/assume that obvious point

again, not trying to defend or stand behind the varsity of the story/source. but strawman defenses do more to harm than better any reasonable critique of the story/source

it claims. no proof. it's BS short selling fud.

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