It was about 10 days ago when the NYT published John Broder’s negative article about the Tesla Supercharger network and the Model S’s inability to drive up and down the East coast in cold weather.
Elon Musk’s response was quick and direct, calling the article «fake» and later publishing details of the car logs that showed Mr Broder failed to charge the car adequately. He also claimed have driven slowly (45mph) and without heat when the logs show he went at highway speeds and kept the cabin at 72F.
To add ridicule to the NYT artice CNN took a model S on the same journey 5 days later and had no trouble.
And then, spontaneously owners of Model S’s on the East coast did the same journey retracing the exact steps Mr Broder took, and had no trouble either.
I think that Boston to DC trip will become legend – the journey to do in any EV to show it has made it.
So, with the situation getting to the stage where the general EV-loving public were weighing in heavily and ridiculing the NYT article, their public editor published a final analysis, stating the journalist had demonstrated problems of precision and judgement.
The Tesla stock price (market sentiment) has tracked this situation faithfully dropping about 10 % and now, with the NYT admitting defeat, recovering those loses.
All in all a fascinating process. Few would have Elon’s guts to face up to the NYT, and their oil-loving journalist (who has been clearly anti-EV in the past), and very few businesses would get the kind of public support that Tesla has had throughout.
It has been a test of Tesla’s resolve, and they (we) have all come out on top.
Drive & Dream 