Tesla is known for making rather optimistic estimates when stating the range of its electric vehicles. The electric car manufacturer has already been reprimanded for this by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the past. Now the car manufacturer in the USA and Canada has corrected the range figures for some of its models downwards without warning. That could be behind it.
• Tesla corrects range information downwards
• Adjustment is reduction of seven to 37 miles
• New EPA guidelines likely cause
Tesla is backtracking on the range information for some of its models. As the Reuters news agency reports, the range of some models on the US and Canadian websites is now stated with a lower number of miles when configuring the vehicle. For example, the Model Y is affected, whose performance was previously 303 miles, but is now only given as 285 miles. Converted into kilometers, this would correspond to a range reduction of around 29 km.
The range is now also stated lower for the vehicle models 3, S and X. There are still differences regarding the exact configuration. The performance reduction is between seven and 37 miles, writes Reuters. However, the news agency could not determine whether the downward range adjustment was made to every variant of every model. In Germany and Europe, no range changes were noticed on the respective Tesla websites.
Manufacturer range tests under criticism
The electric car manufacturer neither officially announced the range reduction nor explained why the performance of its models should now be lower without changes to the software or hardware. In fact, Tesla has been criticized in the past for the optimistic range estimates of its vehicles. Reuters itself published research last year showing that around a decade ago the carmaker manipulated the algorithm that controls dashboard range estimates in Tesla vehicles so that drivers received a more optimistic performance forecast and thus assumed they could continue without recharging to be able to drive when it was actually possible.
In addition, the news outlet’s report noted that Tesla set up a secret team in 2022 to suppress complaints about inadequate range and cancel those service appointments from Tesla owners that had to do with range.
The fact that Tesla tries to present the performance of its vehicles rather optimistically is not surprising, considering that a long range is one of the most important purchasing arguments for an electric car. In general, however, the different real range is one of the biggest criticisms of electric cars. This is also due to the fact that manufacturers’ range estimates are based on vehicle testing under ideal conditions while actual users drive in any conditions. For example, the efficiency of the battery cells in electric vehicles decreases in winter due to the cold, which in turn has a negative effect on the range.
EPA with new guidelines
In order to counteract the overestimated range estimate, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently implemented new guidelines for range measurement. This may also be the reason for Tesla’s secret range adjustment on the American and Canadian websites.
From now on, vehicle manufacturers must use the “standard” mode of the vehicle being tested when testing range and fuel efficiency. The “Standard” mode refers to the mode that is used when the vehicle is first switched on. If there is no such standard, the vehicle must be tested in the best and worst modes so that average values can be determined, according to an EPA letter to car manufacturers, which was obtained by Reuters. This is to ensure that the range information reflects reality rather than an ideal. Tesla offers numerous different driving modes in its vehicles. It is unclear which mode has been used for the range tests so far.
In addition, Tesla is already facing an investigation by the US Department of Justice due to possibly misleading range information, the results of which are still pending.
Car experts welcome the adjustment
Car experts welcome Tesla’s proactive step to bring the range specifications of its models more into line with reality. As the car website Edmunds tells Reuters, Tesla electric vehicles have always performed worse in their tests compared to the advertised range: “All eight Tesla vehicles that we tested did not reach the EPA estimates,” says Edmunds -Editor-in-Chief Alistair Weaver. Tesla’s move to revise its range estimate is therefore “an important step in giving car buyers a more accurate idea of how far their vehicle can travel on a single charge.”
Now it remains to be seen whether similar range adjustments will be made downwards in Germany and other European countries.
Editorial team finanzen.net
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