cnet news
At first glance, the idea of Tesla suing Top Gear over a review of the Roadster that occurred three years ago seems pointless, especially throwing in the fact that Top Gear, and host Jeremy Clarkson, have a huge international following. But it is precisely the size of that following, and the longevity of the Top Gear episode featuring the Tesla Roadster, that spurred the action.
Tesla filed suit against Top Gear for libel and malicious falsehood. In the Top Gear episode containing the review, Clarkson claimed that the Roadster, as tested on the track, only had a range of 55 miles. The show also portrayed both Roadster models supplied to the show breaking down and running out of electricity, halting testing.
Go Top Gear Go!
Loveya…
Tesla and other cars should be tested i reality, not on charts made by the manufacturer.
Top Gear rules. Keep up the good work.
And its entertainment too.
It’s not just Top Gear that was critical of the range.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Tesla-Roadster-Sport/244318/
Autocar noted that (bearing in mind it’s a sports car) when you gave it the beans “watching the car’s remaining range deplete at a mile every five seconds or so, actually isn’t much fun at all.”
#24, don’t forget that he also built a replicator.
Simple Answer:
Let Tesla drive their own 3 year old car on that track in the same weather at the same speeds and prove how very wrong Clarkson is.
If possible.
According to an article on Wired, the cars breaking down were part of the the script:
“The spat started two years ago when Jeremy Clarkson and the lads got their hands on a pair of Roadsters. Clarkson raved about the car’s acceleration but ultimately declared the technology “doesn’t seem to work,” because the cars ran out of juice after 55 miles, needed 16 hours to recharge, and broke down.
Except they didn’t.
The BBC conceded the car didn’t run out of juice and didn’t need to be pushed home, as was shown in the episode. Tesla — which claims it found two scripts for the program written before the cars were driven by Top Gear — squawked but was happy to let bygones be bygones.
But no more.
The BBC continues to rebroadcast the episode — it was shown on BBC America as recently as January, and also is available on DVD and YouTube — without setting the record straight. That’s too much for Tesla, which continues fielding inquiries from potential customers and investors asking if it has resolved the problems reported by Top Gear.”
http://wired.com/autopia/2011/03/tesla-sues-top-gear-for-libel/