NYT article: Stalled on the EV Highway

[syncdin]

Here's his article: Test drive: DC to Boston in a Tesla Model S - Feb. 15, 2013

 

[vfx]

I don't think he's technically lying. I think he's wordsmithing....

Implying here is lying.

 

[Joyrider]

For those not familiar with the trip between Newark, Del and Millford, CT there are NO hills.

To be fair there is a bridge and overpass that do have slope.

 

[brianman]

It seems fairly clear that basic facts as described by Broder are clearly wrong -- specifically his speed when driving.

Now would be a great time for some police blotter about an aggressive driver switching lanes, going 80, in a sedan model that the traffic and police force didn't recognize initially.

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Not really sure which thread to post this to since there are 4, but the latest from the CNN crew's twitter feed (Peter Valdes-Dapena is driving):

"Um... Not that hard. At @TeslaMotors Milford SuperCharger. Been leadfootin' last 20 miles"

And, from his compatriot, Abigail Bassett:

"Here we are @TeslaMotors supercharging station in Milford! 38 miles to spare!"

This I like.

An effort to get NYT some attention is backfiring: NYT losing face, and other news outlets getting face time.

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Right -- just stating the possibility that if your regen is off and you have CC on and going downhill, you could find yourself going 80 when it's set to 55.

There is no "regen off" in the Model S. At most regen would be limited and you can be sure he would have been complaining about the dashed line on the speedometer if that were the case.

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Can someone confirm the MS CC works like the Roadster? Exact digital precision assisted by regen. And if it works as perfectly when regen is off? Or does it need regen switched on to work.

As I posted in another thread, my Sig85Perf sticks within 1 mile of the set speed. Even with the most extreme of Seattle's vertically windy roads/freeways/highways. So much so that I'm annoyed at the inefficiency of it.

 

[StephRob]

There is no "regen off" in the Model S. At most regen would be limited and you can be sure he would have been complaining about the dashed line on the speedometer if that were the case.

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There is Regen "Low" though, which decreases range. It may not be totally off, but it sure feels like it.

 

[brianman]

There is Regen "Low" though, which decreases range. It may not be totally off, but it sure feels like it.

And you think at the Regen=Low setting the Cruise Control can't keep the speed within 1mph of the set speed?

Off I go for another test.... j/k not tonite. Tomorrow though.

 

[Grendal]

John Broder's backfilling would sound plausible to anyone but a Model S owner. The holes in his story are apparent to those of us who actually drive the car, but that is a tiny fraction of the people who will read some portion of this he said/she said clash and wonder where the truth lies. His editors are not among that fraction, so I suspect we will be dissatisfied with the NYT's official position when this is over.

I agree with this too. There is no smoking gun except to Model S owners and Tesla people that know better.

I said it when I first heard about the story. Broder wanted to create a controversial article to make himself look good. He picked his subject to be range anxiety because it fit within the parameters of the "go test the new Tesla Superchargers" that his editor handed him. The article read like a movie that was building suspense to finally complete with a Hollywood ending. It was all too well designed to be real.

 

[Bearman]

For those not familiar with the trip between Newark, Del and Millford, CT there are NO hills.

To be fair there is a bridge and overpass that do have slope.

One can type in the route here to see elevation changes http://www.jurassictest.ch/GR/

 

[vfx]

...

Off I go for another test.... j/k not tonite. Tomorrow though.

Thanks!!

 

[brianman]

Just want to double confirm on Cruise Control. Does it "stick" to the setting even when the regen function is turned off on the screen?
The Roadster does not have the ability to disengage regen.

As I said in the other thread. There is no Off for Model S regen, just Low. And to answer your next question, I'll test CC w/Regen=Low tomorrow or sometime this weekend.



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I don't think he's technically lying. I think he's wordsmithing and playing to the ignorance of those that don't have any experience, be it first or second hand, with the precision of the cruise control in the Model S.



In my interpretation, Broder is not explicitly saying that the Model S's cruise control behaves this way; he's leading the audience to think that this discrepancy in speed could be due to the Model S's cruise control.

IMO, Broder is an exceptional wordsmith. I believe he is intelligent and knows the semantic limits of every word, phrase, sentence and paragraph he publishes. And I believe he has an agenda. He and his editors surely went over his response to Elon's blog with a fine-toothed comb to ensure truthiness without lying.

He said he used cruise control for more than zero minutes of his voyage(s). If you have used cruise control for more than 1 minute, you would recognize how tightly it sticks to the set speed.

Either he never tried out the cruise control or he's misrepresenting how it behaves.

Dishonesty column.

 

[Norbert]

Elon builds this great electric car, one that he says will do anything a gasoline car will do, which he says asks no compromises of its owner/driver. Oh, but here are all the things you need to remember about using it, and a few things you should avoid...

You give a person a device that looks like a car and performs like a car, and then you tell them to use it just like a car, you can't really act surprised when they do. Especially when you arranged the test. In the Real World, people drive cars 75 mph (here in the Chicago area, it's 80 or you should just stay on the surface streets). They drive when it's really cold. And they don't always remember or have time to "fill up" all the way.

"No compromise" doesn't imply it is exactly like an ICE (as if "ICE" would be the ideal of that).

"anything a gasoline car will do" doesn't mean it does it in the same way.

Regarding the NYT test drive, obviously a Model S cannot use gasoline. (I don't know how you think about Volts).

It must be charged with electricity, obviously, and that implies that drivers makes themselves familiar with basic charging features of the car. The author himself wrote an article saying that EVs are "overhyped" (and have infrastructure and range problems in general), so he shouldn't blindly assume anything. The 17" display also isn't too complex to go once through all the screens and take a look at the available settings. Obviously, the 17" screen is another unique feature, and for most a very interesting one.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

CNN's done!

https://mobile.twitter.com/PeterDrives/tweets

Hi. We're in Boston. I'm tired so @AbigailBassett drove part of the last leg pic.twitter.com/ofB0gyeO

And, I'm out of popcorn!

 

[cinergi]

There *is* regen off if the battery is cold enough. I've experienced it.

I'm not saying that's the case here -- I'm merely stating it's not necessarily the case that CC will keep your speed dead-on accurate down a hill.

 

[NuclearPowered]

Looks like they've arrived with no issues. 96 miles remaining after a 271 mi charge and 126 mi drive.

 

[7racer]

hope they get this news story out ASAP!!! :biggrin:

 

[brianman]

There *is* regen off if the battery is cold enough. I've experienced it.

I'm not saying that's the case here -- I'm merely stating it's not necessarily the case that CC will keep your speed dead-on accurate down a hill.

You've seen the dashed line at zero (or some small number)? Or does it not show the dashed line in that case?

 

[rlpm]

Looks like they made it to Boston:

Abigail Bassett (@AbigailBassett) tweeted at 11:23pm MST - 14 Feb 13:
We made it!! 1am, but here! @TeslaMotors S made it with @PeterDrives + @jerharlanCNN 96 miles to spare!

How you like them apples? :wink:

 

[vfx]

Roadster is the same. No regen after a range charge (batter is too full) and in severe cold but does the MS control cruise speed without regen by simply regulating motor speed or does it need regen?

 

[Norbert]

CNN team arrived in Boston. Pic shows Model S still in one piece.

Peter Valdes-Dapena ‏@PeterDrives
Hi. We're in Boston. I'm tired so @AbigailBassett drove part of the last leg pic.twitter.com/ofB0gyeO

 

[Bradleybang]

I don't think he's technically lying. I think he's wordsmithing .

I loved the wordsmith reference and used it my post on NYT. I wrote:


Liar or stupid?
It’s a question I first thought of when reading Mr. Broder’s response. He is yo-yo driving, lost in a parking lot, taking detours, not fully charging at stops, not charging overnight, quitting charging when range says 30 and he needs to go 60. Also, blaming Tesla for miscommunication about time needed to charge.
After reading his response, I realize this wordsmith is pretending to be “Joe the plumber” out for a first long range drive. Everyone loves a story where reality and fiction intermingle.
P. S. I done ran outa gas. My dealer nev’r tole me I need to put gas in my Karr!