Electric vehicle battery life advertisements are false

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] A study by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) reveals that electric vehicle manufacturers exaggerate the driving range of their vehicles, sometimes by more than twice the advertised range.

According to research by the association, electric vehicles have an average 12.5% shorter range than their advertised range. The study, which covered 21 different brands, showed that EV manufacturers overall exaggerated the range of their vehicles far beyond their actual capabilities.

Tesla’s inflated numbers appear to be far greater than those of other brands. The range displayed on its dashboard is 26% lower than actual capabilities. Tesla even set up a secret team to suppress thousands of mileage complaints online. Tesla manipulates meter readings on its electric vehicles to provide "optimistic" predictions of how far owners can travel before needing to recharge, sources told Reuters.

Has Tesla been deceiving consumers? Anyone who knows anything about electric vehicles knows that the number one issue with electric vehicles is range. Many electric vehicles cannot travel very far before recharging. Electric vehicles also have in-dash sensors that can predict the vehicle's remaining range just like a fuel gauge reminds you when to refuel. So what is the truth?

In 2022, Tesla set up a special team to cancel car owners' service appointments in response to a large number of complaints about insufficient mileage. This resulted in a higher volume of customer service requests, which employees often rejected because the batteries didn't need repair; they just didn't have the advertised mileage. According to Reuters, Tesla told employees that it would save the company $1,000 for each rejected service request.

The worst part about their so-called "transfer team" was that team members would celebrate a successful cancellation by banging metal xylophones and clapping. Reuters could not determine how long the behavior lasted. According to a person familiar with the matter, Tesla recently stopped the transfer team in Nevada that handles battery life complaints. The person said that it is now handled by the Virtual Service Advisor Office in Utah. Reuters could not determine why the change was made.

In addition, many mainstream media have reported that extreme high temperatures will affect the driving distance of electric vehicles. A new study from Seattle-based Battery Health Data Company (Recurrent) shows that mileage will start to drop when a battery is around 30 degrees Celsius. They found that the average drop was 5% at 32 degrees Celsius and up to 31% at 38 degrees Celsius.

How much mileage a vehicle loses in extreme heat varies by model. At 32 degrees Celsius, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning experienced minimal range loss, losing just 1 percent compared to the EPA estimate. The Nissan Leaf fell 22%, the Chevrolet Bolt fell 9%, and the Hyundai Kona fell 5%. Even in moderate temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius, most Teslas only achieve 60% of the EPA's estimated range.

The study was published in April by co-author Gregory Pannone. The study looked at 21 different brands of electric vehicles and found that the vehicles' actual highway mileage was, on average, 12.5% shorter than advertised. This result shows that Tesla is not the only manufacturer unable to achieve the same range as advertised.

According to Reuters, the exaggerated range can be attributed to testing procedures mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While most manufacturers follow these guidelines, Tesla uses other testing methods that may improve the range claimed by the automaker.

"I'm not saying they're faking it. At least at a minimum, they're taking advantage of the current testing procedures better than other manufacturers," Panoni said.

This is not the first time Tesla has been accused of such violations. According to Reuters, in 2019, South Korean regulators fined Tesla $2.1 million for exaggerating vehicle performance. The reason is that Tesla's range in cold weather is only half of its advertised range.

Regardless of what automakers decide, the EPA must approve stickers on car windows. That may be a big part of the problem, but it's also false advertising. Tesla has been manipulating instrument readings in its cars for about a decade. What is the only reason for this claimed lie? According to a Reuters survey, in order to promote electric vehicle sales.

Electric car makers sell drivers the myth that you can save the planet without changing your habits. The only thing you have to do is buy our car.

(Compiled by: Wang Huiming)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)