for the distance they could travel on a full battery. Only when the state-of-charge fell below 50 per cent, says Reuters, would the dash readout rein in its enthusiasm and start providing “more realistic projections for their remaining driving range.” In other words, the car was programmed to lie. Most damaging, says the agency’s insider, the directive to create said range inflation came from none other than Mr. Musk himself.
whenever possible.” Specifically, the Diversion Team targeted owners who had range complaints, with the team’s sole goal being to discourage people from bringing in their cars to be tested for battery faults because — like the impetus for that Hyundai investigation — their actual mileage didn’t match that which was promised.
The most insulting aspect to Reuters’ story, however, is that according to its source, the office resembled a telemarketing boiler room. One supervisor reportedly even bought a metallophone — that’s some sort of a xylophone with metal keys — used to celebrate employees who managed to cajole an owner into cancelling their appointment to have their car checked for what was, in the end, a very real complaint.