Tesla CEO Elon Musk's claim of error in range test of Model S questioned

Elon Musk had recently claimed that the official range test conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Model S electric car was faulty has now been refuted by the agency. The Tesla CEO had claimed that the door of the car had been left open and the keys were kept inside for an entire night before the range test.

Musk had previously claimed that the Model S has range of 400 mile and not 390 miles (approximately 627 kilometers) as rated by EPA in an official range test. He had attributed it to a 2% loss in power to EPA allegedly leaving a door open and keys inside the test car for an entire night. EPA, however, has refuted the claim. "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," an EPA spokesperson was quoted as saying by Electrek.

It is reported that if a door is left open and if the keys are inside, the Model S enters into a 'Wait for Driver' mode which can cause a slight battery drain. This can have a slight impact on the range. EPA has however said that no such occurrence happened while testing Model S, Tesla's all-electric five-door liftback sedan.

This is not the first time that carmakers and EPA have had a difference in terms of range of a vehicle or its mileage. Even at 390 miles though, Model S continues to be a vehicle with one of the longest single-charge driving range. This range, however, is on the Long Range Plus edition of the car.

The Model S also claims to have strong performance credentials and goes from zero to 60 mph in a mere 2.5 seconds. Built on the Tesla platform, the battery’s location on the floor gives Model S an extremely low center of gravity, greatly reducing the risk of rollover.