Criticized in the past for overestimating the range of its cars, Tesla has received new directives from the government and had to comply. Unsurprisingly, the actual performance of its electrified range is less glorious than announced.

For years, the automaker has reportedly manipulated the range estimation algorithm to display optimistic figures for the distance owners could cover on a single charge. An entire team was even trained to answer user complaints about its range.

While charging infrastructures are still inadequate in the USA, vehicle range is an essential part of EV marketing. As manufacturers are responsible for their own estimates, they have been able to play on different driving modes to embellish the information revealed to customers by a few kilometers.

According to Reuters' investigation, no fewer than eight Tesla vehicles are affected by this adjustment, including the best-selling Models X, S, Y and 3. The manufacturer is said to have shaved between 10 and 40 miles off each model.

  • In the space of a few days, the advertised range of the Model Y Long Range, for example, has been cut from 330 miles to 310 (or 499 km instead of 531).
  • That of the Model Y, a small crossover SUV, from 303 miles to 285 miles (488 km to 459).
  • The Model X Plaid variant, a high-performance version of the luxury SUV, from 333 miles to 326 miles (536 km to 525).
  • The Model 3 Long Range from 358 to 333 miles (576 km to 536).
  • The top prize goes to the Model S Plaid luxury sports sedan, which now boasts a range of 359 miles, up from 396 (578 km instead of 637).

It's worth noting that none of Elon Musk's vehicles have been revised upwards.

Ford and GM, honest?

Competitors Ford and General Motors were not required to revise their estimates by the EA (the body responsible for monitoring range estimates). Tests carried out since the new rules came into force have confirmed that their previous estimates were correct.

In some cases, the range announced by these groups were even lower than the actual autonomy...