Yesterday, The New York Times reversed its opinion on the review of our Model S and no longer believes that it was an accurate account of what happened. After investigating the facts surrounding the test drive, the Public Editor agreed that John Broder had “problems with precision and judgment," “took casual and imprecise notes” and made “few conclusions that are unassailable.”
We would like to thank Margaret Sullivan and The New York Times for looking into this matter and thoughtfully considering the public evidence, as well as additional evidence provided on background. A debt of appreciation is also owed to other media outlets, such as CNN, CNBC, and Consumer Reports, who repeated The New York Times test drive at normal highway speeds and comfortable cabin temperatures without ever running out of range.
But, most of all, we would like to thank our customers, who rallied immediately to the defense of Tesla and the electric car revolution, sending hundreds of heartfelt letters of support to The New York Times in the space of a few days! Entirely of their own volition, several customers spent the past holiday weekend recreating the Broder test drive route and showing that it can be done easily using the Tesla Supercharger network on the East Coast. You guys are awesome!
The bottom line is that the Model S combined with Supercharging works well for a long road trip, even in a cold, snowy winter. Nonetheless, we will keep increasing the number of Superchargers, improving the software in the car (via over the air updates), and the technology behind the Supercharger itself. Without people even having to think about it or Tesla having to physically touch the car, the free long distance travel enabled by our Superchargers will steadily improve with each passing month.
Elon
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Go Tesla! And while I'm at it: Go New York Times too! And John Broder, just go. Find something else to do. Good journalism is important to our society, bad journalism is poison and ruins all that is good. Shame on you.
Well done, Elon! You rock!!! I LOVE MY MODEL S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Elon we got your back, always!
Integrity, precision and judgement.
A CNBC reporter just finished the same trip today in a Model S. This is the 8th Tesla S that has made this trip successfully in the past week completely refuting the bogus NY Times "writer" and his claims about the car.
A CNN Money reporter made it last Friday and 6 Model S owners did it over the weekend. This is a clear indication that the NY Times reporter had an agenda and wanted the car to fail. The NY Times should really make a full retraction and apologize.
Thank you for the updates and for taking the high road, Elon.
Awesome Elon, a really humble ending to this story. Never had any doubts of the Model S capabilities but glad that it's been proven over and over by many in last couple of days. Cheers for making this technological marvel, as I wait for my Model S to be delivered soon. Oh the wait is killing ...
I think you are to easy on them. You should go on to offensive and attack them! That will teach them a lesson end everybody else! That journalist must have been high on drugs while on the trip!
Very awesome Tesla! SWEET!
Cheers to Elon and Tesla! Power to the people. :)
Good for the NYTs! Broder reminds me of those people in the early '80's who swore they would never abandon their noisy typewriter for a computer. Or the little white exhaust pipe in the ashtray beside it streaming cigarette smoke. Remember them?
Keep the faith!
Dear Mr. Musk,
Thank you for sticking to your dream, your principles, your facts, and your colleagues! As a double Tesla owner and long-term shareholder (since the IPO), I could not be more excited about our investments, alongside yours and many others, of our time, money and enthusiasm to show the world that sustainable and profoundly enjoyable personal transport is a present reality, not a future promise or pipe dream.
Bravo!
Elon-
Thank you for leading the charge and not being afraid to take on the NYT when warranted. As a longtime ICE SUV driver, I placed a deposit on the Model X a few weeks ago. My wife has never in her 4+ decades of life been even a little excited about a vehicle. She is beyond excited for a Tesla. She said she doesn't care if it's comfortable, how fast it goes or what it looks like - she just wants to drive a truly functional and practical EV. Of course she now wants the X and has offered me her MB SUV! Congrats on a truly amazing endeavor!
Elon, you are very kind to the NYTimes, but you are right , it's time to move on.. Thanks for the update.
You can't buy free publicity.
History and facts are with you and Tesla Motors, Elon! A brave move to fiercely contest the smear job. They could break Preston Tucker and John Delorean but you will survive and thrive!
Ooit vorentoe!
w00t
I can't wait for the superchargers to start up in Washington State and Oregon so I don't have to rely on a gas station. It would be really great if you put some in Eastern Washington too. Then I would never own a gas car again!! GO EV and Tesla!
Tesla Smackdown Pt2
Boom.
Classy of the NYT editors to acknowledge the poor reporting. Restores my respect for the paper. And kudos for Tesla for laying out the facts so well. Nice work.
And nice to see the market reward Tesla too. Can't keep a good car down :)
Go Tesla Go! I got my Model S last month and LOVE it. I find that I make every excuse to drive it especially now that gas is at a record high...again! Elon is my hero and the true Iron Man aka Tony Stark!
Luv my Model S! Go Tesla!!
Elon,
In two words BRAVO ZULU (WELL DONE!!!). As a Roadster owner and future Model S owner, I am PROUD that you have the drive, the vision, and the passion to lead the electric charge into the future. True leaders make the tough calls and stand by them. When the NYTs reporter called it wrong, you proved he was a liar and his ''account' was a piece of fiction.
If you down to Sydney, I would be happy to lend my Telsa car to you while you are here, it's the least I could do for changing my world.
Keep leading the charge,
Bernie Beaudoin
Elon,
You are being very diplomatic with NY Times. You forced their hand. I doubt without the hard data they would have been as forthcoming. Unfortunately, dishonesty is becoming the norm in our media, including the so called paper of record.
Way to go for standing your ground and backing everything up with hard data.
Thank you Elon for a car worthy of the 21st century. I am so grateful for the sacrifices you and Tesla have made to bring this incredible piece of technology to the market. I absolutely LOVE my Model S.
Keep making great cars. Someone is always gonna try to knock you down. God bless you.
After some years from now (when Tesla Motors will have sold many millions EV's) people will still be talking about this article of mr. Broder in The New York Times, and the blogs of Elon Musk, and all the free and positive media attention that came with it for Tesla Motors. And this free and positive media attention just might have come at the right moment for Tesla Motors, as from then on the number of reservations per day/week/mont for the The Tesla Model S have grown to much higher numbers. Time will tell.
+1 ewilmann.
Good that NY Times acknowledges Broker's shortcomings and handled them (more-or-less) the right way.
Telsa's here to stay; Tesla's here to rule.
Elon, thanks to you and your excellent team of engineers and personnel who collectively created Tesla Motors. We now enjoy the finest experience in driving with Model S. The SuperCharger installations are wonderful for our cross-country road trips. Hopefully a golden solar panel or Tesla monolith icon will mark the spot near the center of our nation when the first transcontinental SuperCharger highway is completed. We look forward to the celebration!
NY Times is frequently a disservice to its customers, especially on the political front.
The Tesla S is awesome, You guys from Tesla motors and you Elon are even more awesome creating a great experience. This is why people really wanted a Mac and iPhone when Steve Jobs brought them to the market. This is why people really want a Tesla and defend Tesla. You and Tesla are not just a brand, you create an awesome experience. Try to tinker with that and suffer the consequences :-)
The Tesla technology is impressive, but, as priced, is not likely a sedan I would be buying anytime soon.
But I have to ask, why would one want do drive around, using "supercharging" stations when a couple of other manufacturers have already developed a system where you can take the "charger" with you . . .?
a few questions re: tesla design:
1) why doesn't the car have two power/battery circuits (one "active", one "charging")?
2) why can't the wheels generate charge as they turn, thus charging the "charging" circuit?
3) when the "active" power/battery circuit drains, switch to the circuit that has been charging, then begin charging the batteries in the drained circuit?
Elon: When I first experienced the Model S, I was amazed. When I plugged it in to the Supercharger for the first time I knew that this is the tipping piont for electric mobility we have been waiting for. People don't seem to understand the true awesomeness of both innovations. But they will over time.
Thank you!
Hard to beleive the a newspaper was inaccurate where are Woodward and Bernstein when you need them!!
Wow, what a story! But it does make you wonder how this would have played out without the data - very differently i'm sure!
I would like to thank Elon for his valiant, strong, and efficient response to both Broder's original review and the subsequent NYT public editor's comments. He kept it classy with 'just the facts' about the Model S' performance capabilities. I am both an investor as well as one month away from my Model S arrival! Both of these positions have brought nothing but excitement! Elon, I applaud you for getting out, front and center to set the record and Broder straight! I'm happy NYT came clean after reviewing the data.
P.S. I'd be lying if I didn't mention how I just loved the fact your vehicle had the recorded data to lower the boom and my enjoyment in THUD that followed! :)
I am glad to see Tesla and the Model-S vindicated.
LexGreen asks, "why would one want do drive around, using "supercharging" stations when a couple of other manufacturers have already developed a system where you can take the "charger" with you . . .?"
I assume he refers to hybrids, perhaps of the "plug-in" variety.
My answer would, first, involve comfort and performance. There really is nothing else on the market like the Model-S. If you need Superchargers to make quick, long journeys feasible in such a comfortable, high-performance vehicle, so be it.
Second, didn't I read that the Superchargers are solar-powered? Even if only a few are, how nice to get electrons that didn't require the burning of hydrocarbons. This is something that the owner of a hybrid can rarely say in most parts of the country.
Thank you for standing up firmly to the New York Times. You believe in your product and so do we! I only wish that they would print a retraction so that all those folks who are yet to be converted can know the truth and see what a great opportunity they have to get into a superb car that happens to be an EV.
My wife and I are excited about taking delivery on our Model X vehicles next year! All the best and keep up the marvelous work!
Just got my Model S today. Fabulous vehicle, wonderful home delivery, excited to have received this car. The only thing I hope they come up with is a key chain to put the innovative fob on. Small enough stainless steel wire that can slip through the very small opening would be great. Need to be able to hang it; for valet park, or just in the house on a rack with all of the other keys. Petty perhaps, but it would be nice if everyone who bought the S received a couple so we don't lose the "key" to it all. Thank you Tesla.
Yeah it's very interesting to see how quickly that story changed when Tesla said "thats funny because we actually logged everything about your drive..."
It was painfully obvious the guy wanted to make the ride as big a horror story as he could, and that he didn't know he was being monitored.
The wording he chose along with his actions all painted a nightmare scenario that mostly turned out to be totally fake. Sloppy note taking is a very nice way to say lied...
I was SO nervous when Bob brought this car up as a suggestion for our next new vehicle. After all, I need something really dependable! Don't we all?
A year later, I have my beautiful Tesla Model S (for SEXY) and drive it every day to work, around town and take it on the road for weekend trips. We have been so impressed with service, support and all things connected with Tesla. Elon, your vision for the future is spot on, and we really believe in you. So much so that we also invest in Tesla stock!
And I am so happy the hubby convinced me that this car would be THE car for us, because it absolutely is!!! I've always been a "car girl" - and won't belabor anyone about the great cars I've driven in the past, because frankly, I'm having too much fun in the present. TESLA is my company from here on out, and I am now a TESLA GIRL!
I'm glad the Times followed up on this and what they actually found is that Tesla IS what Tesla says they are!
Cheers, and keep up the great work.
~Dolores
love the S-biggest problem is getting through the gawkers in the parking lot!
Agree with Onemiller;sooner we get superchargers in Northwest from BC to CA border on I-5 the better!
Elon-great job in handling the NYT article;what Broder should really regret is that he doesnt have a reservation-also,you just cant fix stupid!
You all have probably thought of this already, but just wanted to mention a tweak to procedures to cut down risk of another misadventure with (by?) a journalist.
Going forward, include a one page key fact sheet on using the Model S among release papers journalist signs off on.
Simple bullet points on basics, like a) range charge vs. standard charge, b) estimated vs. projected range, c) possible amount of charge lost if not plugged in overnight, etc.
That withstanding... wow, for standing up to NY Times!
Chuggie:
You asked... a few questions re: tesla design:
1) why doesn't the car have two power/battery circuits (one "active", one "charging")? Really because you can charge at the same time the battery is active.
2) why can't the wheels generate charge as they turn, thus charging the "charging" circuit?
---- There is no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. if you "charge" when turning the wheels, it will create drag that will slow the car down. In fact, it will take more energy than you put into it (see the second law of thermodynamics).
3) when the "active" power/battery circuit drains, switch to the circuit that has been charging, then begin charging the batteries in the drained circuit? Well, you DO recharge while driving using regenerative braking. Essentially, slowing the car is done not only with the brakes (which turn the energy into heat), but also with the motor, which recovers some of that energy and charges the battery. No need for a second battery to make that happen. Of course, this isn't particularly efficient for the reasons stated above, but since you have to slow the car anyway, it is great to be able to recover some of the energy involved.
You go Elon! We tried our first range test in our 60kw recently and once we got the hang of it, found our car performed flawlessly with a little pre-planning. The moral of the story is, pre-plan, stick to the plan and you'll have no issues.
Sadly, the NYT's article is an indictment of the system when news/journalism isn't interesting enough to prevent these types of shoddy submissions. Here's to standing up for what is right.
Thank you Tesla for building the car of my dreams! I can't wipe the Tesla grin off my face!
Pretty amazing what Tesla customers are willing to do for Tesla.
What if Tesla officially embraced certain customers who do things like duplicate bogus test drives or other awesome feats?
That's powerful. Might be a good idea to see who's doing what and support some of those people.
Go Tesla.
Good thinking Chuggie. Nothing is impossible.
Maybe adding a combination of solar and wind energy sources can significantly extend the range.
Imagine a car that charges itself while in motion. :)) Wouldn't that be great?!!
I am sure one day some geek, somewhere, will come up with a great idea to solve the range issue of electric cars.
Two suggestions to make this great advancement in car technology even better.
1) add option to have only driver side door handle to open when walking up to Tesla. This is safety issue in parking lots.
2) a timer to program start and end of charging. This will help to take advantage of low electricity rates offered by utility companies.
Moral to the story: Don't Broder your Tesla! Second moral to the story: Auditing journalists statements for accuracy is now being done via technology. I love the way Tesla slapped an audit on Broder, who was exposed as a hack journalist. The threat of audit will improve journalist integrity.
SC may make sense in highways that have hi potential traffic of Tesla vehicles. With SC costing $250,000 got to focus resources. In most other places, plain 240V/100 Amp circuits would do at overnight places like hotels. At restaurants, malls, 240V/50 Amp would make sense for quick charging. All those Tesla signs would be good for marketing.
I listened to the CC after earnings. It is just impressive that the company was able to ramp the production rate to near rated capacity of 20,000 cars/year and the focus is now on efficiency and quality.
I would not get too upset about folks like Mr Broder who are challenged when dealing with new technology. On second thought he looks like the kind of guy who would have a hard time changing the oil+filter of his ICE car.
I couldn't be happier with the outcome of this reporting ... And my Tesla! I am now looking into stock options because this is a revolution , and I want to be part of it.
Elon you have been blessed abundantly, little inconveniences in our path just make us stronger as I am sure you well know that. All your work is been followed throughout the world. Just keep pacing along. Opposition to innovation unfortunately won't stop . Many are following your steps.
Glad that got figured out. It pays to have data. It doesn't pay to cheat. Its the lesson we teach our kids and have to relearn ourselves periodically...
I have a great spot for a supercharger in Ithaca NY which would help Tesla Model S owners in CT and NYC metro area come visit their kids at Ithaca College and Cornell! Just contact me. S VIN 653
When will we get an electric miles driven counter like the one that formerly counted Roadster miles only?
Will we see a trailer hitch as an option?
Just returned from a round robin trip in my S, from Pa to the Florida keys. I used three different apps on my phone to find charging stations (J1772) and the use of KOA campgrounds (Nema 1450). Made up a few different adaptors and extention cords. Car ran great, had no problems. Just requires a little planning and some extra time until more super chargers are installed. Used the one in Delaware, it works great! S #1288.
I've drawn up the specs for my "S" - Out of my price range, though one may dream. I'm rather more a truck girl. Don't suppose you have one of those somewhere down the road? Rather hard to pull a horse trailer with a car. Can't see taking the "S" camping,fishing or hauling hay and feed.
It's really bothering me that people are spouting, "Great job, Elon!" This ludicrous. The fact that the test drive (by NYT & Top Gear, for that matter) has been fought with such a hard line concerns me. This shows nothing more than a start up corporation trying to shut down bad press and silence one's free right to speech. The reporter's comment may have very well been a one off experience, so what!? Let it be. I'm sure there will be 100's of positive to one negative. Truthfully, I can't stand electric cars - for many reasons - but I think the approach taken on this matter by Tesla Motors is just shameful. Simply awful. Will not be buying a Tesla. Shame I had to register just to share this opinion. Mark
Markinc- there will always be naysayers and those who believe the world is full of people without an agenda. Watch the Packer Movie sometime and you will get a sense of how threatened big industry can get when something new and improved and revolutionary threatens to water down the old guys profits. If you don't move with the times, you will become a victim of stagnation. Take the next leap into the future. You don't want to continue to reward bad behavior from the Arab world by buying their gas now, do you???
Elon, I admire your vision and courage.
Space X Technology and Tesla Motors who can really argue with that?
The future is renewable and electric, zero emissions: "cradle to grave". It will not be long before we have all parts of manufacture powered by renewables and the recycling of precious metals to reduce mining impacts.
A pity the fossil fuel head in the program "Top Gear" got away with his statement about the future of electric cars. Not for long eh?
I have been waiting for a car without an exhaust pipe since 1974! No ICE will ever be the solution to our air pollution. Air is 78% nitrogen, burning any fuel at high temperatures will always produce noxious NOx compounds which are very hard to filter 100%. Will Tesla start building TRUCKS with no exhaust? Please....
The opening sequence to the 1982 film "Blade Runner" showed a very polluted Los Angeles in 2019. I'm glad that future did not happen. Beijing looks like it though!
The Chinese citizens were not happy when the 2008 Olympics finished. Their skies went back to black...
I am currently looking into a career change and this post helped to see another aspect of the industry. I appreciate your article.
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