Tesla Range Estimates May Have Been Manipulated to Help Sell Cars

For many, owning a Tesla vehicle is a dream come true. But for some owners, the dream has been unpleasant, as their in-car range estimates drop much more quickly than expected. While weather and driving style are factors in any EV's range estimation,Reutersreports that the company may have manipulated its range estimates to display a figure closer to Tesla's rosier estimates than what the car could actually achieve.

Range Inaccuracy Isn't Unique To Tesla

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One of the issues automakers face with any electric vehicle is creating an accurate real-world range estimate, as many factors can drastically impact range, like ambient temperature. The range of accuracy can vary drastically, and other automakers use some strange range estimation methodologies. Take our long-term F-150 Lightning, which Ford admits displays the "EPA best-case range when charging via Level 2 chargers like we've got at home and the office." We dubbed that truck "RangeLiar. "

While Ford has indicated they'll change this behavior, range estimates are impacted by situations as diverse as driving style, environment, terrain, and many others. Driving range can be hard to predict in general, as even ICE vehicles can sometimes get their range estimates wrong.

Reutersnotes a study published by SAE International, on average EVs fall short of advertised range by 12.5 percent in highway driving. The author of the study, Gregory Pannone, toldReutersthat Tesla vehicles fell short by an average of 26 percent. Pannone also pointed out some issues with how BEVs in general compare to their EPA estimated range and consumption figures.

What Tesla Is Accused of Is Different

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Reutersfoundthat Tesla's estimated range inaccuracy goes beyond that of the typical EV. According to an unnamed Tesla engineer thatReutersspoke to, its software engineers purposely created code that would show the range it advertised these EVs would get when the vehicle was at a full charge. Once at 50 percent, the vehicle would begin to show a more accurate mileage estimate. In order to prevent drivers from becoming stranded due to fully draining the battery pack, the range would drop quickly until it reached a safety buffer of about 15 miles. A side effect of this scheme was that the rate at which this range would drop gave owners the impression that there was something seriously wrong with the battery pack.

Reutersreports that when owners would request to get their vehicles serviced due to unusual plummeting range estimates, those owners would get text messages saying their battery was fine per a remote diagnostic and the Tesla service center would try to get the service request canceled. Some owners would still show up, only to be told in person that their Tesla battery pack was fine without anyone ever actually touching the vehicle. According to the report, that's because the issue wasn't with the battery packs itself. Tesla also allegedly instructed service center employees to cancel range related service appointments, according to someone familiar with the matter toReuters, and never explained that the range drop was intended behavior.

The Tesla Diversion Team

Tesla even went so far as to set up a "Diversion Team"—first in in Las Vegas, and then Henderson, Nev.—just for cancellations related to range issues last summer, because service centers were swamped by appointments for the "battery issue." According to that sameReutersreport, Tesla's Diversion Team fielded nearly 2,000 cases per week. The Diversion Team staffers were also allegedly told to quickly close these range-related cases by calling owners and, if they didn't respond, cancelling the appointment. If the owner answered, the call could not last longer than five minutes. The staffers performance was tracked by the average number of diverted appointments per day, with an expectation to close 750 cases per week by the entire team. The Diversion Team managers told employees that they were saving the company "about $1,000 for every canceled appointment." It seems, according toReuters, that this team has been shut down recently and range cases have moved to a virtual service advisor center in Utah.

What Happens Now?

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While the range estimation manipulation, if true, is certainly troubling, for many the dream of owning a Tesla vehicle is strong. And with good reason; Tesla vehicles—in terms of their performance, interior simplicity, and the availability and consistency of its charging network—are also still hard to beat against what's currently offered by other manufacturers. At a minimum, owners baffled by the plummeting range estimates of their Teslas—behavior so unusual many seem to think they had defective batteries—at least now have an understanding of, perhaps, when their estimates are accurate. And when they are not.