路透社援引多个消息来源称，特斯拉十年前开始炒作其电动汽车的里程范围
2023-07-28 17:26阅读：
美国东部时间
22023年7 月
27 日下午12： 17
作者：丹·米哈拉斯库
特斯拉面临指控，称它去年夏天成立了一个秘密团队，目的是压制客户对数千个练习场的投诉。
据
路透社援引几位熟悉此事的消息人士的话报道，作为该所谓团队一部分的特斯拉员工已被指示阻止任何抱怨驾驶范围差的客户将他们的电动汽车带入服务。
一些消息人士称，该公司在拉斯维加斯悄悄成立了一个“分流团队”，以尽可能多地取消与范围相关的约会。据报道，
特斯拉之所以这样做，是因为其服务中心充斥着客户的预约。
这些特斯拉车主中的大多数都根据该公司的广告估计和汽车仪表显示的预测，预计会有更好的续航里程。其中一位消息人士说，“成千上万的客户被告知他们的车没有任何问题”，由从未进行过诊断的顾问提供。
报道称，特斯拉的经理告诉内华达州秘密团队的员工，他们每次取消约会都会为公司节省约1美元。他们还被告知，他们正在缓解服务中心的压力，其中一些
中心等待预约的时间很长。
在内华达州团队的办公室内，一些员工通过将手机调成静音并
敲击金属木琴来庆祝取消服务约会，引发了有时站在办公桌上的同事的掌声。该团队通常每周结案数百起案件，并跟踪工作人员每天平均转移的预约次数。
路透社特别报道摘录
其中一位消息人士称，特斯拉最近停止使用其在内华达州的分流团队来处理与里程相关的投诉，取而代之的是犹他州办公室的虚拟服务顾问。
也许更令人惊讶的是，在大多数情况下，汽车可能甚至不需要维修，知情人士告诉新闻社。这是因为客户的投诉源于特斯拉在车辆行驶里程方面的误导车主。
特斯拉被指控炒作其电动汽车的范围，提高消费者的期望，超出了汽车的实际能力。根据
路透社对三位测试或研究特斯拉电动汽车的汽车专家的采访，这些车辆往往无法实现其宣传的里程估计和自有设备提供的预测。
显然，这是大约十年前出于营销目的开始的做法，当时特斯拉只销售两款汽车，
两门跑车和Model
S。
据称，特斯拉通过为里程计编写算法来操纵其里程估计软件，该算法将显示车辆一次充电可以覆盖的距离的乐观预测，一位熟悉该软件早期设计的人告诉
路透社。
然后，当电池电量低于其最大电量的50%时，该算法将向驾驶员显示其剩余行驶里程的更真实的预测，该人士说。消息人士称，为了防止司机在预测续航里程开始更快地下降时陷入困境，特斯拉设计有“安全缓冲区”，即使在仪表板读数显示电池电量耗尽后，也允许大约15英里（24公里）的额外续航里程。
路透社特别报道摘录
同一消息人士称，为客户提供乐观里程估计的指令来自特斯拉首席执行官埃隆马斯克，他“希望在充满电时显示良好的续航里程数字”。
据称故意膨胀仪表板内范围预测和据称创建其范围投诉转移团队之前都没有报道过。由于这些都是严重的指控，
路透社向特斯拉和埃隆马斯克询问了有关这些问题的详细问题，但都没有回答。
来源：路透社
原文
Tesla Set Up Secret Team To Stifle Thousands Of Range
Complaints: Report
Reuters cites multiple sources who claim Tesla started hyping
the range of its EVs a decade ago.
Jul 27, 2023 at 12:17pm ET
By: Dan
Mihalascu
Tesla is facing allegations that it created a secret team last
summer with the goal of suppressing thousands of driving range
complaints from its customers.
According to a
Reuters
report citing several sources familiar with the matter, Tesla
employees that were part of this alleged team had been instructed
to thwart any customers complaining about poor driving range from
bringing their EVs in for service.
Several of the sources claim the company quietly created a
'Diversion Team' in Las Vegas to cancel as many appointments
related to range as possible.
Tesla reportedly did this
because its service centers were flooded with appointments from
customers.
Most of these Tesla owners had expected better range based on the
company's advertised estimates and the projections displayed by the
cars' in-dash range meters. 'Thousands of customers were told there
is nothing wrong with their car' by advisors who had never run
diagnostics, one of the sources said.
It is claimed in the report that Tesla managers told employees from
the secret Nevada team that they were saving the company about
$1,000 for every canceled appointment. They were also told that
they were easing the pressure on
service centers, some of which had long waits for
appointments.
Inside the Nevada team's office, some employees
celebrated canceling service appointments by putting their phones
on mute and striking a metal xylophone, triggering applause from
coworkers who sometimes stood on desks. The team often closed
hundreds of cases a week and staffers were tracked on their average
number of diverted appointments per day.
Excerpt from Reuters' special
report
One of the sources said Tesla recently stopped using its diversion
team in Nevada to handle range-related complaints, replacing it
with virtual service advisors in an office in Utah.
Perhaps more surprising is the fact that in most cases, the cars
likely didn't even need repair, people familiar with the matter
told the news agency. That's because the customers' complaints
stemmed from Tesla misleading owners with regard to the driving
range of their vehicles.
Tesla is accused of hyping the range of its EVs, raising consumer
expectations beyond what the cars can actually deliver. According
to
Reuters interviews with three automotive experts who
tested or studied Tesla EVs, the vehicles often fail to achieve
their advertised range estimates and the projections provided by
their own equipment.
Apparently, this is a practice that started about ten years ago for
marketing purposes, when Tesla was only selling two vehicles, the
two-door Roadster and the Model S.
Tesla allegedly rigged its range-estimating software by writing
algorithms for the range meter that would display optimistic
projections for the distance the vehicle could cover on a single
charge, one person familiar with an early design of the software
for its in-dash readouts told
Reuters.
Then, when the battery fell below 50% of its maximum
charge, the algorithm would show drivers more realistic projections
for their remaining driving range, this person said. To prevent
drivers from getting stranded as their predicted range started
declining more quickly, Teslas were designed with a 'safety
buffer,' allowing about 15 miles (24 km) of additional range even
after the dash readout showed an empty battery, the source
said.
Excerpt from Reuters' special
report
The same source said the directive to give customers optimistic
range estimates came from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who 'wanted to show
good range numbers when fully charged.'
Both the alleged intentional inflation of in-dash range projections
and the alleged creation of its range-complaints diversion team
have not been previously reported. Since these are serious
allegations,
Reuters asked both Tesla and Elon Musk detailed
questions about the issues, but neither replied.
Source:
Reuters
