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New York Times Admits Some ‘Problems’ in Poor Review of Tesla Car

Feb. 19, 2013 1:09pm Liz Klimas

Last week, a rather poor review in the New York Times detailing the experience of John Broder’s test drive of the Tesla Model S electric vehicle was called into question by the company’s co-founder, Elon Musk, who released evidence contrary to Broder’s account.

With the car’s computer logs in hand, comments and emails from Model S owners, and discussions with Tesla employees and other New York Times journalists, Times editor Margaret Sullivan has come out to say Broder’s review was conducted in good faith and that he wrote his account as he experienced it. But she acknowledges that there were “problems with precision and judgement” in Broder’s test drive:

Did he use good judgment along the way? Not especially. In particular, decisions he made at a crucial juncture – when he recharged the Model S in Norwich, Conn., a stop forced by the unexpected loss of charge overnight – were certainly instrumental in this saga’s high-drama ending.

In addition, Mr. Broder left himself open to valid criticism by taking what seem to be casual and imprecise notes along the journey, unaware that his every move was being monitored. A little red notebook in the front seat is no match for digitally recorded driving logs, which Mr. Musk has used, in the most damaging (and sometimes quite misleading) ways possible, as he defended his vehicle’s reputation.

Here’s what Musk had to say about the Times’ admission:

Appreciate thoughtful @sulliview article. Faith in @nytimes restored.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2013

Read more of the back story between Broder’s review in the Times and Musk’s calling it “fake” here.

(H/T: SlashGear)

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Comments (20)

BronsonTyler
Posted on February 21, 2013 at 11:55am
As a business owner in the suspension lift kit department I don’t fancy seeing many Prius or Tesla coming into my shop for a lift. It’s hard for me to support the electrical movement working in the field that I do. Unless there’s some awesome electrical SUV coming out sometime soon that can off-road on an electric motor, I suspect I’ll stay opposed to a complete reformation.

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GroundZero is Nuclear Demolition x3
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 2:40pm
Here is an electric BICYCLE outrunning a 1000cc ICE superbike: http://youtu.be/leLZZK4llYE

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paulwbrown
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 2:27pm
Tesla needs to get a totally independent expert to analyze the black box and post a public report.

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SocialistSlayer
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 2:20pm
Oh yeah, These Electric Vehicles are great – in fact let’s give Communist obama one for his presidential Limo !

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Walkabout
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 2:16pm
“unaware that his every move was being monitored”

A liberal caught lying and yet avoids consequences as does his employer the NYT.

Yet VerceofUNReason & Send the Meatballs wait for every issues of the NYT with bated breath.

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term limits for congress
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:57pm
Next time the crash test dummy will disconnect the logging system.

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- Walkabout
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 2:25pm
  So he can lie, impugn, misrepresent, error or dissemble with impunity?
  
  Report this comment
InfiniteSolutions
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:57pm
I’m all for electric cars and advancing these technologies. We can use current electric infrastructure in off hours to recharge millions of these vehicles, meaning we are using the electricity that’s lost to transmission. I think it’s possible that electric cars aren’t being advanced due to other patents and technologies that are held back from other corporations. Petroleum would be in direct competition but car part manufacturers and auto industry as a whole would change as electric cars become dominant. We aren’t taking alternative energies serious in this world. Unfortunately it’s all about money and jobs too, which is a serious concern. We have some problems that have to be worked out and it starts with understanding how to focus ourselves to reduce the carbon footprint. I’m not an advocate of the carbon tax or government regulations around this. I’m for stimulating companies to do the right thing to bring these technologies to surface and serious solutions around the problems areas of jobs and profit.

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MN NICE
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:47pm
The high today will be around 0 with blowing and drifting snow/icy roads… Bet even the 85kwh batteries wouldn’t last long… I wouldn’t have much use for that over priced POS… I’ll keep my F150

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Outlaw_Josey_Wales
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:47pm
I rather drive around in a old Sanley Steamer with a trailer full of coal.

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huey6367
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:30pm
Unless technology has rolled over me once again (would not surprise me at all), most batteries lose power in colder conditions.

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- Walkabout
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 2:19pm
  I thought batteries liked room temperature (or near there) best. The lose their charge at high temperatures too although not as fast as cold temperatures.
  
  But did Keats, Verce or Meatballs earn a degree in the hard sciences?
  
  Report this comment
- ALL4FREEDOM
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 9:46pm
  Tesla battery compartments are kept warm for that reason. I don’t believe that the NYT has given the car a fair test. My question is, why are we looking at electric vehicles as total replacement vehicles? The majority of two or more car families use one vehicle mostly to commute to and from work; the vehicle sits idle most of the time, and humungous range is not an issue. Electric cars are the perfect commuter vehicle. Tesla’s range is vastly superior to the volt and, to my knowledge, doesn’t set itself on fire.
  
  Report this comment
progressiveslayer
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:23pm
How much CPM coal per mile is burned in these so called electric cars?

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- gyro
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:59pm
  to move a object of a given weight a given distance with resistence == you need a given amount of
  BTUs (calerys big-mack prefured )
  So
  If you need to figure how many BTUs you use to get the to food store
  compare that
  Fuel has to be traced back to the production well the electricity back to the coal pit
  Finaly you have 2 numbers that give you the total BTU that was needed to get to the store
  Electricity wins from the coal plant !
  WAIT
  the car
  you need to figure out the BTU it took to build the car
  Gas car wins
  WAIT
  you need to figure out the BTU over life of car with the BTU you get out of car when you recicle it given BTU added to keep it running
  WAIT
  Some Btu is lost in garbage dump after car recicled
  SO
  Gas car Wins over life of car
  (I still drive my 1990 pick up I bought new )
  :)
  
  Report this comment
- TheBurningTruth
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 6:17pm
  Here’s another little lie that the Greenies won’t admit to. We all know about the energy it takes to build a new car. However, the real dirty secret is the amount of CO2 pollution that results from smelting the raw iron ore in the first place.
  
  Iron ore is basically rusted iron (Fe2O3). To “refine” that iron, it is necessary to drive off the oxygen attached to the iron molecules. That is done by heating the iron ore in the presence of CO which has a higher affinity (or lower activation energy) for the oxygen than does the iron. The outcome of this processes is elemental iron and tons and tons of CO and CO2, two of biggest “greenhouse gasses” that we’re all being beat up over. Remember that we haven’t even begun building the car yet!
  
  Depending on the car being built, the amount of CO an CO2 pollution being created *just to smelt the iron for that car* can easily exceed 50k to 75k miles of pollution. In fact, the higher the mileage (and hence the less gasoline burned) the greater the Co2/mile contribution from just making the steel. If the greenies want to pretend that “ZEVs” don’t pollute, then the “mileage cost” of manufacturing those cars is infinite. In other words, if you buy an electric vehicle, then you must keep it and repair it forever. Otherwise, you’re adding increasing the world pollution for nothing.
  
  Nonetheless, we’re all pushed into new higher mileage vehicles without regard as to the real pollution effects of making that new car.
  
  Report this comment
John.Galt
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:21pm
NYTimes makes stuff up constantly. It has been happening for over 100 years. I the 30′s, NYTimes reported (Durante) no starvation in Stalin’s russia… even though Durante witnessed the mass starvation himself. NYTimes is complicit in the starvation deaths of about 40 MILLION RUSSIANS.

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- Cavallo
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:50pm
  As many times as they get exposed, the liberals keep touting that fish wrapper of record as something to be respected. It must be where the leftists who troll this board get their information about taxes, gun control, and constitutional rights.
  
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dc5
Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:18pm
I do NOT believe the retraction! The push for a good review from all the greens and Obama is what this semi-retraction is all about.

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- huey6367
  Posted on February 19, 2013 at 1:47pm
  This is a “save your a$$” retraction made so Obie et al doesn’t get angry with them. It would ruin Obie’s statements that electric cars are the future.
  
  Report this comment

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