Although the media seems not to be paying as much attention to the electric car as it once did, the progress that has been made towards creating a competitive, alternative option to the internal combustion engine is impressive. One stand-out company is Tesla Motors, out of Silicon Valley. This company, established by Elon Musk, only has two models available to the public right now, but they are extremely popular, and are now affordable.
Recently, Tesla has released the Tesla Model S, a four door sedan priced at $57,400 and a reasonable alternative to the over $100,000 Tesla Roadster. Pricing the Model S at a point where it is competitive with other upper-end sedans is a huge step towards electric vehicles gaining market clout. Unfortunately, electric car infrastructure such as high speed charging stations is severely lacking, except in certain locations on the East and West coasts. This issue is slowly being resolved, but the only way to expedite the process is by selling more vehicles by positive reviews from influential reviewers.
First, there was a review of the Tesla Roadster done by the English television show “Top Gear” that proved to be relatively controversial. When one of the show’s hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, was driving the car around their track, the vehicle was shown to run out of charge after about 55 miles, far lower than the advertised range. This was immediately contested by Tesla Motors, who stated that the show was scripted and the car was meant to fail before the test even occurred. This protest was completely ineffective. The lawsuit was thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence and both parties have moved on.
The “Top Gear” incident is not the only time that Tesla has run into bad reviews. Recently, the The New York Times published a review of the Tesla Model S by John M. Broder, where Broder reported many problems, all relating to the range. Elon Musk formed a rebuttal citing the data was pulled directly from the car that Broder used, noting that the route reported was not the route used. Broder was seen circling around in a parking lot while the battery was low, and driving over recommended speeds with the heat up higher than recommended temperatures, which has caused a bit of a firestorm between the two organizations and was elevated when CNN performed its own test of the Tesla with the same route and reported none of the same problems. Broder has since “rebutted the rebuttal,” explaining his actions on the route and why he didn’t follow exact instructions. This issue is far from over and is only becoming more interesting as we see the reccurring conflict with Tesla Motors.
The amount of issues that Tesla has been experiencing can be attributed to either its popularity or its attempt to overturn the status quo. There is no doubt that its are some opposed the electric car, for it will change the auto industry forever by eliminating gas-fueled vehicles and heralding a new age of green technology. We will have to wait and see if it is Tesla’s immaturity or the power of established ways that is holding back this significant innovation.
