Tesla has reportedly performed "intentional inflation" on the range estimates of its electronic vehicles under its Elon Musk's guidance.
According to Reuters' report, Tesla created a Diversion Team in Las Vegas last summer to "cancel as many range-related appointments as possible."
In line with this, employees were instructed to divert clients' complaints about poor driving range from bringing their vehicles in for checkup.
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Tesla's EV Advertisement
Tesla advertised its electric sport sedan's driving range to be at 353 miles on a fully charged battery.
"We're looking at the range, and you literally see the number decrease in front of your eyes," a Tesla user shared to Reuters.
According to an interview with car experts, Tesla has been using an algorithm to alter projections at full charge. Moreover, the numbers will only get realistic once the car reached a 50 percent state of charge.
In addition, a 15-mile buffer is implemented to allow the vehicle to drive for a while after it reaches zero.
Tesla's Diversion Team Strategy
The report showed that the team saves Tesla about $1,000 for every canceled appointment.
"When you buy a car off the lot seeing 350-mile, 400-mile range, it makes you feel good," an anonymous source shared to Reuters.
Tesla was previously fined by South Korea due to its fake advertisement on the car's range in a cold weather.
Tesla is yet to respond on the existence of the team and the current issue.
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