Elon Musk Believes Tesla Model S Travel 400 Miles On A Single Charge, Tests Claim Otherwise

Elon Musk seemed to be confident about Tesla Model S clocking a 400 mile (644 km) on a single charge. While the company had in fact claimed this to be a milestone already achieved, a formal confirmation was needed from the EPA for the same. That, however, was not meant to be.

With the latest test run of the Tesla Model S, EPA has offered a 391 miles (629 km) of range as an official accord to the car. Following the test, Musk alleged that the executive agency of the United States federal government for environmental protection had made a mistake during the test. ¡°EPA had left the car door opened,¡± said Musk. With the car left with the door open and the key fob inside overnight, 2% of the available battery was drained, bringing down the total power and range, as Musk claimed.

EPA responded to the claim, denying it altogether. A spokesperson for the EPA told CNET RoadShow. ¡°We can confirm that EPA tested the vehicle properly, the door was closed, and we are happy to discuss any technical issues with Tesla, as we do routinely with all automakers.¡±

Tesla Model S

With the ball back in Musk¡¯s court, the Tesla CEO has called the denial ¡°weird¡±. The assertion, however, does not come without proof. ¡°We have precise car logs that confirm it happened. Happy to provide them,¡± said the tech billionaire.

The to and fro does not amount to much. Musk knows this, ¡°we¡¯re just talking about 2% here, so not much,¡± and hence, is confident about the Tesla Model S ultimately reaching the desired official number as soon as the retest is allowed.

It looks possible, and quite easily for that matter. Tesla has long maintained the stance that Tesla cars portray a less range on the company¡¯s website. That is because the EPA ratings would stick to those numbers, while the company has conducted internal test runs that state otherwise.

With the Model S rerun, the company was hoping for the same. But as per EPA, there is still time for the company¡¯s trophy EV to reach the milestone. The denial of the official run being fair by Musk shows his confidence in the nearing achievement of the Model S. Then again, this won¡¯t be the first time that the Tesla CEO would be wrong in the bygone weeks.

Elon Musk (Representative Image: Reuters)

Elon Musk recently went on a twitter rant against the ongoing lockdown in the US citing the Coronavirus pandemic. With a plea to ¡°FREE AMERICA NOW¡± in one of his tweets, he further went on to post absurd comments, including calling the Tesla stock prices ¡°too high¡±. The result, Tesla¡¯s value took a nosedive by $13 billion in a single day.

So clearly, Musk¡¯s notions do not have much validity to them at the moment. Complaining about the way EPA conducts its tests might fall into the same category. That being said, it is certainly not an unachievable task for Tesla to go for the 400 miles range mark. If it does so in the retest, Musk would have a much needed win in this to and fro.