Tesla allegedly suppressed driving range complaints in the US, cancelled service appointments

Insiders have alleged to Reuters [↗] that Tesla set up a team to downplay thousands of driving range complaints in the United States.

Speaking with Reuters, anonymous sources claimed the popular electric vehicle company set up a dedicated ‘Diversion Team’ in mid-2022 to cancel as many range-related servicing appointment requests to relieve the pressure off its servicing centres.

Thousands of owners were reportedly unsatisfied with the vehicle’s estimated real-world total driving range compared to the advertised capability under the States’ strict Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) testing cycle.

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The sources reportedly said that the team closed up to 2000 cases per week, and managers told employees that they were saving the company about AU$1500 (US$1000) for every cancelled appointment.

While it’s believed most complainants did not need a battery repair after completing a remote diagnostic, the team were trained to tell customers that the EPA-approved range estimates were just a prediction and batteries naturally degrade over time.

Alarmingly, if the diagnostic found anything else not related to range, employees were allegedly instructed to not tell the owner and close the case.

The ‘advisors’ were also purportedly told to complete the call in less than five minutes and close the case if the complainant did not answer the call.

Furthermore, late last year, managers allegedly told employees to stop running remote diagnostics and close cases as quickly as possible. The Diversion Team reportedly stopped recently in Nevada and has now moved the responsibility to a Utah office.

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Tesla’s patchy range record

The American carmaker has previously been accused of exaggerating its EVs' driving range potential.

Tesla conducts 'additional range tests' to allegedly result in more conservative EPA range estimates than other automakers that only rely on the authority’s own formula.

In January, South Korea’s regulator fined Tesla KRW2.85 billion (AU$3.28 million) for misleading advertising that failed to tell customers about reduced driving range of up to 50.5 per cent when operating in low temperatures, along with advertised cost savings compared to combustion-engine vehicles and Supercharging performance.

American EV battery research firm Recurrent told Reuters [↗] that Tesla’s software estimates remaining range ‘aggressively’ – indicating that the EV can travel more than 90 per cent of the advertised EPA rating, regardless of external temperatures.

However, recent data from the company suggests actual real-world range is more around 60 per cent of the EPA rating – though it’s more consistent in delivering similar range in varying seasonal climates than other EVs.

It said other models it tested, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric and Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs, indicated more accurate range readouts.

Tesla released an over-the-air software update late last year that introduced a more comprehensive Energy app in the touchscreen – allowing owners to better monitor energy consumption with tips provided to maximise range.