SoCal Rob
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Rob
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2021
- Threads
- 28
- Messages
- 2,091
- Reaction score
- 4,368
- Location
- Southern California
- Vehicles
- Rivian R1S & VW ID.4
- Occupation
- Information Technology
I trust that the Tesla EPA numbers are accurate yet some (many?) people complain that they cannot reproduce those numbers in the real world. This doesn’t surprise me given the discrepancies between a rigidly-defined test rightly used by Tesla and real world conditions experienced by drivers.
I suspect that other established manufacturers are intentionally choosing the allowed protocol which shows a lower range because they have been dealing with average car buyers for a lot longer than Tesla has. From a customer satisfaction standpoint, not to mention roadside assistance costs, most car manufacturers know consumers expect any range or distance to empty number to be a MINIMUM. Tesla’s calculations may be the best in the business but that doesn’t always help them if most other manufacturers use a less accurate (but still permitted) method which is more likely to under promise and over deliver.
I think this whole disagreement is about typical consumer expectations and perceptions versus hard data. Because Tesla doesn’t behave as old-school car makers do, some consumers will have the expectation of a longer range in real world driving and the perception that Tesla is doing something wrong when they cannot ever achieve it.
I suspect that other established manufacturers are intentionally choosing the allowed protocol which shows a lower range because they have been dealing with average car buyers for a lot longer than Tesla has. From a customer satisfaction standpoint, not to mention roadside assistance costs, most car manufacturers know consumers expect any range or distance to empty number to be a MINIMUM. Tesla’s calculations may be the best in the business but that doesn’t always help them if most other manufacturers use a less accurate (but still permitted) method which is more likely to under promise and over deliver.
I think this whole disagreement is about typical consumer expectations and perceptions versus hard data. Because Tesla doesn’t behave as old-school car makers do, some consumers will have the expectation of a longer range in real world driving and the perception that Tesla is doing something wrong when they cannot ever achieve it.
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