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Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

arstechnica.com

11–20 of 181 posts

Re: Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

#11
post #6

Seems like a pretty weak claim to be honest. I think it is pretty obvious that maximum range refers to maxium range under ideal conditions and that using more eletronics in the car reduces the range. Porsche isn't lying about their max speed either, just because you can't reach it with 300kg of load and bad weather.

Basically every other EV tries to give a realistic range based on the temperate and your driving habits. Teslas appear to always show the EPA range at full and it sounds like they stay very optimistic for quite a long time, giving drivers a very unrealistic picture. That’s lying to the customer. They’re not trying to be useful but to look good. And in every EV range comparison I’ve ever seen, teslas are the ones that…

>Only Tesla does this.

The question is if it is illegal.

I agree that reporting a maximum possible range is meaningless and might be misleading. But it is still a truthful metric making it a quite dubious legal claim.

>other EV tries to give a realistic range based on the temperate and your driving habits.

What I saw was specifying the test conditions under which the range was achieved and including disclaimers about possible factors which can reduce the range. Certainly more honest.

Re: Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

#12
post #6

Seems like a pretty weak claim to be honest. I think it is pretty obvious that maximum range refers to maxium range under ideal conditions and that using more eletronics in the car reduces the range. Porsche isn't lying about their max speed either, just because you can't reach it with 300kg of load and bad weather.

Basically every other EV tries to give a realistic range based on the temperate and your driving habits. Teslas appear to always show the EPA range at full and it sounds like they stay very optimistic for quite a long time, giving drivers a very unrealistic picture. That’s lying to the customer. They’re not trying to be useful but to look good. And in every EV range comparison I’ve ever seen, teslas are the ones that…

If you want the accurate range prediction, navigate to somewhere, the prediction is always spot on to the percent. Or view the energy screen, also extremely accurate. Just don't depend on the EPA range, go with what the car calculates when you navigate and you will never have an issue.

Re: Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

#14
Tesla's display shows the EPA range. While this is probably a bad idea and that's why no other manufacturer does it, "nobody else does it" is nothing but an informal standard and it seems a bit awkward to claim the approved government standard, in use at government agencies, is so obviously wrong that it constitutes fraud.

Re: Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

#15
post #4

This one actually seems fair - literally the only reason I ever considered Tesla was the range. The only reason I didn’t buy any other EV was because I was waiting for them to catch up to the Tesla range. Turns out that advantage was a lie - I hope their competitors also sue them.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-range-and-cons...

It's pretty dang high on the list in actual real world tested range.

Re: Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

#16
post #4

This one actually seems fair - literally the only reason I ever considered Tesla was the range. The only reason I didn’t buy any other EV was because I was waiting for them to catch up to the Tesla range. Turns out that advantage was a lie - I hope their competitors also sue them.

This suit isn't about the advertised range -- everybody advertises the EPA's rated range. The way the range is calculated does favour Teslas, but if you want that changed, you'd have to sue the EPA, not Tesla.

Re: Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

#17
post #9

You can get close to EPA estimate if you drive the speed limit and avoid aggressive acceleration, something that almost no one does.

The EPA estimate is for 55mph driving in optimal conditions, and is fairly accurate in my experience.

It's very easy to exceed EPA estimates in the city. The optimal speed to drive a Tesla is about 15mph. At that speed a Tesla will exceed EPA range by about 20%.

Re: Tesla committed fraud by “grossly” exaggerating EV range, class action says

#20
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically every other EV tries to give a realistic range based on the temperate and your driving habits. Teslas appear to always show the EPA range at full and it sounds like they stay very optimistic for quite a long time, giving drivers a very unrealistic picture. That’s lying to the customer. They’re not trying to be useful but to look good. And in every EV range comparison I’ve ever seen, teslas are the ones that…

If you want the accurate range prediction, navigate to somewhere, the prediction is always spot on to the percent. Or view the energy screen, also extremely accurate. Just don't depend on the EPA range, go with what the car calculates when you navigate and you will never have an issue.

So the car only lies to you about its capabilities in some contexts? That's reassuring.
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