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Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

reuters.com

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Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#411

Post by singpolyma3 »

rchaud wrote: post #354
Dalewyn wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This really is an extreme and specific example, but risks like this are why most people want lots ( lots ) of range and why gas/diesel cars won't die out any time soon. The sheer ease of mind that comes with having densely packed energy that can be replenished at a moment's notice practically anywhere should not be disregarded easily. Maybe battery tech can get there some day, but it's certainly not today.

Precisely. Gas cars have had their scandals and crises, I dont have to worry about the manufacturer juicing the fuel gauge for marketing purposes. I have been car-free for the past 12 years, but when it'll be time to move to the suburbs, I'll go with what works and is predictable.

... why would you move to the suburbs after tasting freedom?

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#412

Post by concordDance »

jvanderbot wrote: post #8

I have a model Y. I hate almost everything about it. But most germane, The "Battery meter" at the top of the display is total bunk. That's got to be "rosy" numbers. It'll display a the battery in miles, but it's at least 25% inflated. However if you punch in a destination, you'll get exact numbers, and those are insanely reliable. It claims (and I don't believe any claims coming from tesla) that it'll factor wind, el…

> It'll display a the battery in miles, but it's at least 25% inflated.

Worth noting this is also common in ICE cars. Mine has it.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#413

Post by HWR_14 »

panick21_ wrote: post #370
HWR_14 wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The EPA recommended system is pretty accurate and conservative, according to the article. Mercedes is supposed to use it and has more accurate estimates. Tesla is still using their own math from before the EPA had a plan. Meanwhile, what difference does it make if most Tesla customers do X? Tesla now has enough customers that hurting 10% of them is a major impact.

No. EPA has 2 different processes and the car maker can choice what they want to use.

EPA process 1: use standard formulas. This is what Mercedes does and is more conservative and seems more accurate.

EPA process 2: Run tests and justify your numbers, essentially there to grandfather in range estimates from pre-2020

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#414

Post by flextheruler »

ravenstine wrote: post #357
vel0city wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People who are worried about range on EVs are not worried about a usecase that looks like this, obviously. But this use case covers the majority of drivers in the US. The vast majority of people I've personally talked to concerned about range could absolutely charge at home and rarely drove more than even 100 miles.

If that's true, then it may be a matter of lingering perception. As an ICE car owner who lives in LA, I see plenty of charging stations, but not necessarily when I go on drives of hundreds of miles outside the city. Of course, I may be biased given that I don't need to pay active attention to vehicle chargers. But, for me, it would be a deal breaker if I couldn't be confident that my car could still be fuelled up in…

Anyone who thinks the utility of an EV is identical to an ICE car in the US is deluding themselves or never gets out of town.

I’ll probably take 10 long car trips a year often for camping but sometimes visiting friends. I know that most of the areas I’m driving through when I go east do not have the infrastructure at all and even if they do they’re still a hassle to use and add a bunch of time to a long drive. My mom had an EV so I have experience with range anxiety and the inconveniences of not running the AC, etc.

It’s a bad purchase in my opinion much better to get a hybrid

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#415

Post by notyourwork »

perfectritone wrote: post #409
malwrar wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually got stranded once for some hours because of the mileage indicator! Was driving back from a campsite that I turned out to not have charging compatibility with, but thought I had plenty of margin to get to the nearest charger. As I drove through the mountains however, I began noticing that a.) my battery was depleting much faster than expected and b.) I wasn’t seeing any houses and very few motorists. I watc…

The last paragraph firmly places this story in America.

Maybe though I know a lot of foreigners in America that act like this. So is it an American problem of a societal problem?

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#416

Post by dinom »

giobox wrote: post #399
purpleidea wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tesla cars are way heavier. Nobody is pushing one with their friend. Unless it's downhill.

You can push a tesla in most typical push situations. Sure its heavy, but its in the ballpark of pushing any large sedan or SUV, not just electric ones. You can enable free-rolling wheels in the car and push away, especially if you have luxury of two people pushing. The weight of a Tesla is not some unprecedented figure for a passenger car - a model 3 is no heavier than many BMW 5 series configurations etc. The far b…

> You can enable free-roling wheels in the car and push away

This was mentioned a little earlier and further down in the comment tree but many thanks to you too for clearing this up.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#417

Post by Zetice »

rad_gruchalski wrote: post #146
vagab0nd wrote: post #51

Not just battery and range. I've had problems with the passenger side airbag not enabling, and turn signal not working. Both scary issues. Made appointments with the support. Both were cancelled outright by them (!). They tried to convince me that there was no problem, and it was all due to the way I use the car. They seemed to try everything to get out of appointments. My wife had to use the back seat for a month wh…

A new "you're holding it wrong" level.

"Works on my Tesla."

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#418

Post by bischofs »

dietsche wrote: post #160

As a Tesla owner, I think the source of the confusion is the EPA range displayed in the HUD on the Tesla. We toggled ours to show the battery percentage, which is much more useful to us. We've never owned a gas vehicle that met it's EPA range and the Tesla is no different. No one takes EPA MPG * GALLONS of gas and expects it to be a real life estimate of range. Wind resistance increases EXPONENTIALLY with speed. Driv…

I think this is a problem because a lot of what people use to shop an EV is the headline range number, which you are declaring is not accurate. This is false advertising.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#419

Post by martin8412 »

mint2 wrote: post #322
martin8412 wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a Tesla problem. They couldn't figure out blended braking. If I press the brake hard in my car, the regen goes to max possible.

That is an accurate meter, it is not a Tesla problem. My PHEV works the same way, but that fact isn’t really relevant. The meter is presenting you the regeneration “rate” but what you’re thinking of is the regen rate integrated over time, I.e the amount of charge recovered during the process of stopping, which the meter is not showing you.

Maybe, I don't really care about regenerative rate, I just notice my meter going to max when braking hard. I only use the battery for city driving and hard acceleration on the motorway anyway. It's great for merging onto the Spanish motorways.

Re: Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

#420

Post by cevn »

steveBK123 wrote: post #308
cevn wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could, but they don’t. Edit: someone else pointed out if you actually navigate then it will show remaining % more accurately. Still seems like false advertising..

Having owned a Tesla and non-Tesla EV the approach to range is entirely different. Tesla - I literally never achieved the advertised range once. BMW - I exceed the advertised range during low-speed highway cruises in ideal summer conditions. Tesla - the range it shows me in car (not in nav) is the never-achievable EPA range. BMW - the range it shows me in car (not in nav) adjusts ride to ride based on efficiency on m…

Exactly. Doing all this math when the main estimator says X is exhausting. Obviously I use percentage now but there is a problem with that estimate and a lot of people just want to pretend everything is fine.
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