Tesla Motors, maker of the Tesla Roadster electric sports car, is suing the BBC's Top Gear for libel and malicious falsehood. The company claims the test set up by Jeremy Clarkson on a 2008 edition of the show was rigged to make it look like the Tesla ran out of power when racing a Lotus.
They also contend that ''the show’s script, written before the cars were tested,'' was based on ''lies''. More specifically, two Roadsters were depicted as suffering several critical "breakdowns" during track driving and offering an actual range of only 55 miles (88 km).
Disappointed that the Tesla's performance did not meet all the hype, the Top Gear host concluded the segment by saying: "In the real world, it doesn’t seem to work".
In an effort to set the record straight, the automaker details every piece of misinformation in its latest blog. For starters, the Tesla Roadster has been certified under UN ECE R101, the EU regulation for measuring electric vehicle range, at 211 miles (339 km). One Tesla owner even achieved 313 miles (503 km) on a single charge.
Secondly, as evidenced by the basic operating information recorded by the car, neither Roadster ever dropped below a 25-percent charge, which the show failed to mention. Tesla even argues that Top Gear staged a scenario that made it look like the battery had run empty.
Thirdly, while the manufacturer admits the fuse for the braking system's electric vacuum pump failed, the brakes were still operational and safe. ''Tesla's brakes, both with and without the fuse, must pass all UN ECE safety tests, and they do'', writes Ricardo Reyes, Vice President of Communications.
Tesla also dispute the report that none of the Roadsters provided to Top Gear was readily available for test-driving, insisting that there was at least one Roadster operational at all times.
"We can confirm that we have received notification that Tesla have issued proceedings against the BBC'', a Top Gear spokeswoman said. The BBC stands by the programme and will be vigorously defending this claim."
All signs point to a long legal process and one can wonder if Tesla has enough juice in the tank (pun intended) to fight the media giant to the very end. Is it just a publicity stunt? Will they withdraw their complaint once their message has been passed? No one knows for sure, so we'll have to keep an eye on how the story unfolds.
Sources: Tesla, BBC
They also contend that ''the show’s script, written before the cars were tested,'' was based on ''lies''. More specifically, two Roadsters were depicted as suffering several critical "breakdowns" during track driving and offering an actual range of only 55 miles (88 km).
Disappointed that the Tesla's performance did not meet all the hype, the Top Gear host concluded the segment by saying: "In the real world, it doesn’t seem to work".
In an effort to set the record straight, the automaker details every piece of misinformation in its latest blog. For starters, the Tesla Roadster has been certified under UN ECE R101, the EU regulation for measuring electric vehicle range, at 211 miles (339 km). One Tesla owner even achieved 313 miles (503 km) on a single charge.
Secondly, as evidenced by the basic operating information recorded by the car, neither Roadster ever dropped below a 25-percent charge, which the show failed to mention. Tesla even argues that Top Gear staged a scenario that made it look like the battery had run empty.
Thirdly, while the manufacturer admits the fuse for the braking system's electric vacuum pump failed, the brakes were still operational and safe. ''Tesla's brakes, both with and without the fuse, must pass all UN ECE safety tests, and they do'', writes Ricardo Reyes, Vice President of Communications.
Tesla also dispute the report that none of the Roadsters provided to Top Gear was readily available for test-driving, insisting that there was at least one Roadster operational at all times.
"We can confirm that we have received notification that Tesla have issued proceedings against the BBC'', a Top Gear spokeswoman said. The BBC stands by the programme and will be vigorously defending this claim."
All signs point to a long legal process and one can wonder if Tesla has enough juice in the tank (pun intended) to fight the media giant to the very end. Is it just a publicity stunt? Will they withdraw their complaint once their message has been passed? No one knows for sure, so we'll have to keep an eye on how the story unfolds.
Sources: Tesla, BBC