Tesla Winter Range - NY Times article

[GaslessInSeattle]

remind anyone of that top gear stunt with the Leaf! http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20087555-48/nissan-calls-out-top-gear-over-leaf-review/

 

[RegGuheert]

So did the NYT author also make up the stories about all the bad advice he got from Tesla? Or did they really give him bad advice?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

So did the NYT author also make up the stories about all the bad advice he got from Tesla? Or did they really give him bad advice?

Who knows? Keep in mind we dont know that the reporter made up anything o.ly that Musk has made some accusations. It all sounds like grandstanding to me and a very cheap and effe tive way of generating publicity

 

[evnow]

Wow - this is getting interesting.

If true, NYT should fire that "journalist".

 

[cwerdna]

CNBC has a video up of a phone call w/Musk they did this morning on this:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100439335" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[tbleakne]

anyone read his related article posted same day where he disses electric in favor of CNG?

i would post but have exceeded my free allowance for the month...

I subscribe to online NYTimes. Here is link to story you saw:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/201...e-road-to-an-electric-future/?ref=johnmbroder
It has a picture of the red Tesla charging. He quotes the utility rep's experience with 2 EVs and a natural gas vehicle. He ends up getting 8.4 kWh charge for free, but he doesn't seem grateful.

She said the company owned a Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and a Ford Transit Connect van converted to run on battery power alone. The Volt, she said, drove perhaps 30 miles before switching to its gasoline engine, which then generates the electric power that turns the wheels. The Ford van, which promised 100 miles of range, got a fraction of that and could not complete a day’s work before having to be plugged in. “It wasn’t good for what we purchased it for, so that was a disappointment, and then the company that did the conversion went bankrupt,” she said. “So, O.K.”

The company powers much of its day-to-day fleet with compressed natural gas, which she says is clean, quiet and cheap.

“That’s a success,” she said. “If you want to talk about alternative fuels for transportation, C.N.G. is more successful than electric.”

 

[tbleakne]

CNBC has a video up of a phone call w/Musk they did this morning on this:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100439335" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In the video, Musk says Broder violated 3 instructions: to charge to 100%, drive at reasonable speeds near the speed limit, and to avoid side detours. He says the logs of the car prove it violated all 3 of these conditions.

In the original article Broder says:

A Tesla agent brought the car to me in suburban Washington with a full charge

Broder drives the car to the Delaware Super-Charger.

I went off for lunch at the service plaza, checking occasionally on the car’s progress. After 49 minutes, the display read “charge complete,” and the estimated available driving distance was 242 miles.

If the Model-S has to be set to Extended Charge each time, perhaps this is where a mistake was made. Perhaps Border was not properly briefed on how to select an Extended Charge. Does 242 suggest Regular or Extended Charge ?

 

[mazdaboi]

Obviously another uneducated driver testing a borrowed EV to prove their point(s). As discussed before, TESLA and 90% of all EV manufactures recommend keeping the vehicle plugged in when able to do so..even if its not needed to charge, would allow battery balancing, conditioning and ability to pre-heat/cool the cabin if needed (remotely). If the reporter would of used the 110V overnight to trickle charge the vehicle, he would of NOT had the range issue. He could of pre-heated the cabin, battery would of not of been visible as loss in range (because it was conditioning and plugged in overnight).

Who's to blame? The rep dropping the vehicle off for this reporter to test drive with not explaining what charging should be done (ie overnight trickle if 240v not available) or do we blame the reporter for NOT taking time to research, educated and plan out better?

Both parties are to blame IMO. But if this guy was trying to set sail and try to be a "dummy" without educating himself, he deserves to sit on the side of the road. But dont discriminate against one of the worlds finest EV's because of your own stupidity.

Last month we had a family drive across country (the long way) NO ISSUES, In Florida we had a father and son drive the entire southern coast over 400miles on a single charge (took long but was completed) C'mon... Really? A 3-4 State jaunt and you cant figure out how to make it there without complaining to the nation.

Next time I try to drive from DC to OBX in my LEAF ill be sure to blog about it while traveling at hwy speeds and complain when I have to call a flatbed becuase it couldnt make it. LOL

Not ranting here, Just stating the obvious....Tesla needs to lend out cars for the weekend in this region to CURRENT and EXPERIENCED owners willing to take the...lets call it "EV CHALLENGE" of how far we can drive on a Model S. (or any other large battery packed EV)
No need to find fallicies with these cars, just the positives.

 

[Caracalover]

Obviously another uneducated driver testing a borrowed EV to prove their point(s).

Who's to blame? The rep dropping the vehicle off for this reporter to test drive with not explaining what charging should be done (ie overnight trickle if 240v not available) or do we blame the reporter for NOT taking time to research, educated and plan out better?

I differ from you, and I think the majority of the humans on earth will too.

The blame should go on the reporter. First off - passing hundreds of gas stations and not feeling happy about it? Did he really write that? What a moron, and even without the comments from Musk I thought that. This is a spoiled brat of a reporter, getting a free ride, and he has the incompetance to "report" on a vehicle without investigating it first? He should have known about the extended range mode, how to drive it to achieve the distance he wanted to travel, and then reported on that, not how he got "stranded". Give him an ICE and have him run out of gas and everyone would call him what he is - an idiot! This is no different. EV's have been around long enough and the amount of places to plug in (even at 110) are plentiful enough a tow truck should never enter the equation.

Journalism like this should be punished. If you subscribe to the NY Times, consider a letter to the editor, an email to the repoter, and cancel your subscription if what Elon said turns out to be true. Newspapers can not afford such stupidity in the ranks.

 

[thankyouOB]

washington post piles on and adds obama EV policy as roadkill:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-lane-obamas-electric-car-mistake/2013/02/11/441b39f6-7490-11e2-aa12-e6cf1d31106b_allComments.html?ctab=all_&" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Nubo]

CNBC has a video up of a phone call w/Musk they did this morning on this:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100439335" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can see what EV adoption still has to overcome when the anchors' eyes glaze over: "You mean if I wanted to extend the range I'd have to drive the Speed Limit"?

Oh, you mean the physical laws of the universe apply? This car SUCKS! :lol:

Fortunately, real-world drivers will be spreading the truth, not reporters pushing edge cases so they can trumpet about.

 

[Alric]

The Verge just pulled a similar stunt. They were more open about not completely charging and some errands before setting off on a long range trip.

"We intentionally didn’t seek out a charger in Santa Barbara because we wanted to push the Model S’s battery to its limits"

And then complained about range anxiety. I'm pretty sure journalists have decided there will be a moment of panic in their electric car stories.

http://vrge.co/UaisW1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[thankyouOB]

Broder is not even a car guy, and Tesla gave him a LEAF (er, a CAR) without sufficient instructions and the NYT decided that was a good way to write about the car.
i dont get it.

what is next:
i ignored the gasoline gauge and the car needed a tow.
i left the radio on and the car wouldnt start the next day.
i never added oil and the engine died.
i drove my ICE into the water and the engine went dead.
i drove my ICE over a cliff and it didnt fly.
i tried to drive from NYC to Providence with 3/4s of a tank of gas, got lost leaving Manhattan, and didnt get past Groton.

 

[palmermd]

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2917" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


sound familiar?

 

[surfingslovak]

And then there is this: Tesla: 100% Market Share in Silicon Valley

Can't be all that bad, can it?

 

[RegGuheert]

...Tesla gave him a LEAF...

Tesla gave him a WHAT? :lol:

 

[edatoakrun]

However sloppy or even misleading the reporting may be, this story and others like it do, IMO, point out some of the essential flaws in Tesla's plans for a proprietary "supercharger" network.

Fast charge stations need to be placed in far more locations than just at points near maximum vehicle range on major routes.

How would you like driving an ICEV on a road where the gas stations were ~300 miles apart, only available near to the maximum ICEV range?

And proprietary DC access plans by manufactures, such as Tesla's free, but for high capacity S's only program, are obstructions to a convenient and reliable DC charging infrastructure for ALL BEVs, just as proprietary gasoline stations, for the exclusive use of Toyota or GM ICEVs, would be for the ICE refueling infrastructure.

 

[Alric]

But it looks like both journos from NYT and The Verge did not start out their long drive with full capacity. Something that any normal human with a modicum of common sense would do.

 

[TomT]

The big problem is that people are not used to a vehicle having dramatically different range if the heater is on, it is very cold outside, it is very hot outside, the level of fuel in the tank may different in the morning than it was last night when I turned it off, etc...

These and more are true of an EV and it requires a mindset that generally does not exist with the masses at the moment, particularly when you are dealing with a vehicle that inherently has far less intrinsic range than an ICE...

 

[thankyouOB]

...Tesla gave him a LEAF...

Tesla gave him a WHAT? :lol:

heh