Update: Tesla Model 3 Will Be Retested By Consumer Reports
By Andrew Hulse
This morning I wrote about the new Tesla Model 3 missing out on the coveted Consumer Reports recommended rating. Now the automaker says they have a fix for the issue. Will it be recommended this time?
After being reported earlier today that the Tesla Model 3 will not be recommended by Consumer Reports (my report here), Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to defend his company. Musk and Telsa claim a firmware update can fix the primary issue that Consumer Reports found.
Consumer Reports found some heavy discrepancies in braking distance in the emergency stop portion of the Model 3’s review. They found an average stopping distance from 60mph to be 152 feet. This is 21 feet more than the average vehicle in the segment and 21 feet translates to a ton of space in an emergency situation.
Musk goes on the defense.
In a series of tweets shortly after the first reports hit, Elon Musk elaborated on the idea of a firmware update to fix the braking issues. This actually is what really blows my mind about Tesla as a whole company. They can do over the air updates to things that you would not expect to be able to do a programming update to. I do not know any other company that can update brakes, some will update shift points over the air but not necessarily braking distance.
Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update. Will be rolling that out in a few days. With further refinement, we can improve braking distance beyond initial specs. Tesla won’t stop until Model 3 has better braking than any remotely comparable car.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2018
Musk says in one tweet that apparently the ABS calibration algorithm can be changed and updated for a more aggressive stopping distance. In a separate tweet, he noted Consumer Reports has an early production model of the car. Newer models have similar upgrades already from the factory that fix the ride quality and windscreen noise. Both are small gripes noted by Consumer Reports.
Will it end up getting the recommendation?
Next: Tesla Model 3 Won't Get Consumer Reports Recommendation
I believe the current production car that will be tested will meet the Consumer Reports standards easily. Tesla is a company I love to hate, but I think in current form and based on the quality of the Model S, it is hard to go wrong in the end with a Tesla. Now they just need to turn a profit.