Comments on: Actually, Tesla’s Elon Musk Could Be Smiling Over That New York Times Review

By: Tesla Loan Repaid Early As Energy Department Cheers

Tesla Loan Repaid Early As Energy Department Cheers — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:02:20 +0000

[…] rest is history. Aside from one misguided “test drive” earlier this year, the car has gotten rave reviews, sales are strong compared to other EVs in its […]

By: San Diego Loves Green – Can You Guess Tesla’s Big Mystery Announcement?

San Diego Loves Green – Can You Guess Tesla’s Big Mystery Announcement? — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:57:48 +0000

[…] For those of you new to the topic, Tesla Motors lent a Model S to reporter John Broder for a test drive along the company’s new East Coast Supercharger network, and of the hundreds of other similar test drives for the Model S that have occurred without incident, this one ended with a spent battery and a tow truck. […]

By: San Diego Loves Green – Europe: Taking Ev’s to the Next Level

San Diego Loves Green – Europe: Taking Ev’s to the Next Level — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:22:12 +0000

[…] around the same time that a New York Times reporter managed to bungle a simple city-to-city electric vehicle test drive along an East Coast charging network, earlier this year a consortium in Europe launched a new […]

By: Tina Casey

Tina Casey — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 15:41:00 +0000

Thanks for your comment but I don’t see how your point about the “average American” makes for a cogent argument. You seem to be arguing that EV tech is beyond the capabilities of the average driver, but then you state that “most Americans” don’t even attend to the routine basics of maintenance for any vehicle, namely tire pressure or oil, which strongly implies that conventional vehicle technology also is beyond the reach of the average driver. Obviously, most drivers exercise at least some common sense about maintaining their vehicles, otherwise the roads would be littered with stall-outs and breakdowns. The only thing that Broder proved was that an average driver with an average skill set and an average amount of common sense would have familiarized themselves with the car before taking it on a two-day road trip.

By: mds

mds — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:48:00 +0000

btw Gasoline and deisel vehicles don’t even give you a predicted range, just an indication of how much is left in your tank. You have to figure out remaining distance on your own. Why should the Tesla have to give a min/max it already gives a predicted distance and clearly it does that with a considerable range left. For somebody named “Nancy Drew” you’re not much for deductive reasoning.

By: mds

mds — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:42:00 +0000

You’re nuts. Broder’s experience is like deliberately ignoring your gas gauge. Most American drivers would not do that, let alone one trying out a new car. …and it’s clear he did a lot more than that trying to deliberately show the Tesla model S did not work. Gee, that guy is really …ummm unethical. Clearly stronger language should be applied.

By: mds

mds — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:37:00 +0000

The logged evidence makes it clear “beyond a reasonable doubt” (as they say in legalese) that he was deliberately trying to foil the car ..and having a hard time doing it.

By: mds

mds — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:34:00 +0000

No, it’s clear from the logged data evidence recovered from the car that his whole experience and article is a deliberate fraud.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 05:12:00 +0000

Creatively interpreting and ignoring advice or deliberately attempting to make the car fail, only Broder knows for sure.

Lying about what he did should get him fired.

By: Shiggity

Shiggity — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 01:10:00 +0000

You’ve already missed the point. The original assessment in the original article was that electric cars COULD NOT complete a long range trip. Yes you have to make sacrifices to get the necessary range, but that is another debate entirely.

The range updates in real time with many selectable variables. This isn’t an issue of technology, it’s an issue of a user using it completely wrong, then lying.

By: Ross Chandler

Ross Chandler — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 21:32:00 +0000

Broder was deliberately trying to test it to the red line. He also creatively interpreted & ignored advice from Tesla to continually try to have the car gasp home on each leg of the trip. It makes for good copy but it isn’t normal driving.

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 20:54:00 +0000

In short, it wasn’t his driving style, it was mostly his consistent habit of not charging the battery to full. Simple operator error. Given the fact that the car displays its state of charge clearly enough, I have a hard time imagining how he could have missed it.

The ‘errors’ are so obvious and stupid, that it bears all the signs of a rigged test.

By: Nancy Drew

Nancy Drew — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:12:00 +0000

I’m afraid that Broder’s driving technique is a lot closer to the way an average American would handle such a vehicle than tech-savvy test drivers. A “range indicator” should have more than one number displayed. It should display a min/max value to account for maximum electrical load with interior heating and headlights at one end and minimal load daylight driving on the other. Most Americans rarely check their tire pressure or oil. Designers should take these tendencies into account.

By: moseslonn

moseslonn — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:53:00 +0000

One thing is unexplained. Just when did Rupert Murdoch buy the New York Times? This whole thing smacks of his particular brand of ‘journalism.’