BBC: Top Gear admits Tesla didn't run out of juice

[PeakOilGarage]

You may recall from the recent episode of Top Gear that they claimed the Tesla ran out of electricity and had to be pushed back to the garage. Tesla was upset and claimed that the car never had less than 20% of a charge and they questioned the motives of Top Gear showing the car being pushed.

Now the BBC has revealed that it was staged. Hmmmm....

BBC: Top Gear Tesla didn’t run out of juice Peak Oil Garage

[TheForce]

I figured it was staged or they did not give it a full charge to begin with.
I think they said they also had problems with the brakes. I wonder if they actually had problems with the brakes or if they was lying about that too. If they are lying about this then why should I believe that any other car they "test" can go 0-60mph in less than 4 seconds?

[nerfer]

Another indication of their level of credibility, to go along with their Prius tests. I used to think you could always trust the BBC...?

[TheForce]

the tested Tesla was filmed being pushed into the shed in order to show what would happen if the Roadster had run out of charge.

And how is this different than running out of gas in a regular car? People do run out of gas every day!

[efusco]

Originally Posted by TheForce

And how is this different than running out of gas in a regular car? People do run out of gas every day!

Very true..but in a car there's a gas station on every corner and it's a trivial matter to grab a gallon of gas and be on your way. Not so trivial if you run out of battery juice in the middle of no where.

But still, what a ridiculous thing to do for Top Gear...as if I wasn't pissed enough at their unfair representation of the Prius. Idiots.

[Mjolinor]

Well it used to be a show about cars but now it's jsut a chat show with little or no factual content just a rake of moronic idiots blowing their own trumpets.

[PeakOilGarage]

Originally Posted by efusco

Very true..but in a car there's a gas station on every corner and it's a trivial matter to grab a gallon of gas and be on your way. Not so trivial if you run out of battery juice in the middle of no where.

I have found that electric outlets are much more common and widely available than gas stations. There are electric outlets in every single building, parking lot, parking garage, etc.

The outlets are often easily found within range of parking spaces. If not, the wiring is already in place to create an extra outlet.

So it is a red herring for us to claim that a driver might be stuck with no energy to recharge from. It is really not much different than gasoline.
The only valid criticism of electric vehicles is the time requirement to recharge.

[efusco]

Originally Posted by PeakOilGarage

I have found that electric outlets are much more common and widely available than gas stations. There are electric outlets in every single building, parking lot, parking garage, etc.

The outlets are often easily found within range of parking spaces. If not, the wiring is already in place to create an extra outlet.

So it is a red herring for us to claim that a driver might be stuck with no energy to recharge from. It is really not much different than gasoline.
The only valid criticism of electric vehicles is the time requirement to recharge.

And that's fine for vehicles with an onboard charger (I don't think the Tesla does, the Rav4EV doesn't, the EV1 didn't--even my electric golf cart doesn't)...and if you're not on a highway, or busy city street, and if someone will let you use their outlet, and if you're close enough to your destination that a few minutes of charge will get you there, and if you're not in a hurry to get t your destination and can wait for the charge.

Look, I'm an EV fan, I want an EV. I'm a believer in EVs...but to deny the potential for seriously annoying issues is just plain unrealistic. Even along my route to work (15 miles) there are long sections of road where a battery failure would be a major problem and would require a tow...in a gas car I hitch a ride 2 miles to a gas station, grab a jug, hitch another ride and I'm back on my way. I think most of us would become very much aware of our SOC and it would be a rare thing to run low. But as EVs become more widely used it's more and more likely that people would forget about such things and find themselves stranded.

[cwerdna]

I didn't watch the episode but I find Top Gear to be TOTALLY worthless for fair, objective and factual car information. The trashing of cars, bizarro conclusions and Clarkson's attitude are entertainment to some but I don't have time for that.

He unfairly trashed the Prius (and gave a whole bunch of misinformation) and the 350Z.

He also gave some wildass conclusion that the Porsche Boxster was the BEST value in sports cars (something to that effect) which is just bizarre too. Porsches cost an arm and a leg to maintain besides their high upfront cost. I know someone who got rid of one in favor of a 350Z because the routine maintenance was insanely expensive. Luckily, he didn't need any repairs.

[DaveinOlyWA]

am i surprised at the slanted view of the Prius and the Tesla?? considering what they normally do and who their audience and sponsors are?...nah, not that surprised.