The Environmental Protection Agency has refuted claims made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk that a recent test should have resulted in a 400-mile range result for the Tesla Model S, but was limited by a user error on the part of the Agency.
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This week’s first quarter Tesla investor call featuring Musk included a claim from the executive that the EPA’s recent 391-mile range result from testing an updated Tesla Model S Long Range Plus model should have actually resulted in the first-ever 400-mile EPA result. So what happened?
Here’s more from Roadshow, with an official response from the EPA:
According to the CEO, at some point during the testing process, someone left the keys inside the car and the door open overnight. The Model S entered a “waiting for driver” mode, which depleted 2% of the EV’s range, hence the sub-400-mile rating. Musk added that the company plans to retest the Model S with the EPA and is “confident” the test will produce a 400-mile car.
The automaker did not return Roadshow’s request for comment on the situation, but an EPA spokesperson said in a statement, “We can confirm that EPA tested the vehicle properly, the door was closed, and we are happy to discuss any technical issues with Tesla, as we do routinely with all automakers.”
A difference of nine miles ain’t such a big deal, but as Roadshow points out, competitors are catching up as Rivian, Lucid, and other EV startups claim range estimates on upcoming models should be well beyond the unbroken 400-mile benchmark. You can’t blame Musk for wanting to be the first.
It sounds the EPA wasn’t aware of the retest mentioned by Musk, at least according to their statement. Perhaps Musk just plans to do a retest, so we’ll see if it ever happens (and at that, if it happens again with the EPA or privately).