Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk told CNBC that the New York Times article indicating that cold weather drastically cut the mileage of the Model S was “unreasonable.” But now the New York Times has defended its article.
“The Jan. 10 article recounting a reporter’s test drive in a Tesla Model S was completely factual,” the newspaper said. “Any suggestion that the account was ‘fake’ is, of course, flatly untrue.”
Tesla claims that the electric Model S can hit 60 miles per hour in less than five seconds and can go 265 miles on a single charge. However New York Times reporter John Broder test drove the Model S last week and claimed that the car lost charge earlier than Tesla claimed it would and stranded him before he reached his destination.
Broder said he charged the vehicle fully and drove at 54 miles per hour. However Musk said he has logs from the car that will prove that the trip wasn’t as Broder said. He claims that Broder didn’t charge the vehicle to full capacity before he left. He also claims that the reporter took a detour and drove over the speed limit, thus reducing the range of the vehicle.
Musk’s Twitter feed has several posts about the controversial article. He said a Tesla blog is coming soon that will detail the logs from Broder’s trip more fully. He also said Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is “lining up other journalists” to do the same trip in the Model S.
In addition to Musk’s own posts are posts from other people who claim to own the Model S. They say they haven’t experienced anything like what Broder claimed happened on his trip.
Shares of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) dipped slightly in Monday trading.
