Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Have you heard anybody complain about the power output of the Tesla Model S? Or any other Tesla, for that matter? Has anybody found the Model S P85D in particular lacking in oomph? Did they complain about the 3.3 seconds 0-60 mph time? Can they buy any other roomy premium sedan with these figures, because if they can, we'd really like to know? Oh, and make it an electric one too.
Of course not, but just because the Model S P85D is a great car, that doesn't mean it can do no wrong. Well, it's not the car's fault in any way, but it somehow managed to become the talk of the town, especially if the town in question happens to be called "Oslo."
Last year, a group of 150 Tesla Model S P85D owners from Norway (Tesla's largest market in Europe) got together and filed a complaint with the country's Consumer Council against the Californian manufacturer. They were upset about the way Tesla was communicating the vehicle's power output, claiming that it was misleading.
The P85D model features two electric motors, one on each of the axles. The rear one is rated at 467 hp with the smaller one in the front good for just 224 hp. Add them together, and you get the healthy sum of 691 hp.
Of course, we all know that an arithmetic sum is not the way to calculate the total power of a multi-motor vehicle, since the real-world value will always be less. Just think of any hybrid and how the combined output of the gasoline engine and electric motor is considerably smaller than their nominal power levels put together.
Tesla, however, claims that it made it very clear the numbers were not referring the vehicle itself, but the two motors alone. Even so, shortly after the scandal broke out, it changed the way it displayed the power output of its models, which was the sensible thing to do.
Initially, the Norwegian Consumer Council sided with the automaker, but the plaintiffs were determined not to let it go so they took the matter to the Consumer Disputes Commission. This second institution, Electrek says, has recently decreed that their complaint was entitled, and told Tesla to pay each Model S P85D owner roughly $6,000. Tesla still has some time to appeal, but it needs to ponder its options very carefully. If it agrees, more P85D owners might ask for the same treatment, which could raise the total value of the compensations to nearly two million dollars in Norway alone. With the precedent set, other countries could follow.
Now, back to what we were saying at the beginning of this piece, you can't help but feel this is just the owners' way of making some money off Tesla. Saying you were deceived by the 691 hp advertised and suing Tesla for it implies that you're not happy with the real power output of the car. Which, you will agree, is highly unlikely.
On the other hand, it could be that the owners initially wrote Tesla about it, and received one of those arrogant answers the Palo Alto company makes itself guilty of so many times. That probably pissed them off. Well, they might get their revenge soon, and $6,000 isn't bad at all.
Last year, a group of 150 Tesla Model S P85D owners from Norway (Tesla's largest market in Europe) got together and filed a complaint with the country's Consumer Council against the Californian manufacturer. They were upset about the way Tesla was communicating the vehicle's power output, claiming that it was misleading.
The P85D model features two electric motors, one on each of the axles. The rear one is rated at 467 hp with the smaller one in the front good for just 224 hp. Add them together, and you get the healthy sum of 691 hp.
Of course, we all know that an arithmetic sum is not the way to calculate the total power of a multi-motor vehicle, since the real-world value will always be less. Just think of any hybrid and how the combined output of the gasoline engine and electric motor is considerably smaller than their nominal power levels put together.
Tesla, however, claims that it made it very clear the numbers were not referring the vehicle itself, but the two motors alone. Even so, shortly after the scandal broke out, it changed the way it displayed the power output of its models, which was the sensible thing to do.
Initially, the Norwegian Consumer Council sided with the automaker, but the plaintiffs were determined not to let it go so they took the matter to the Consumer Disputes Commission. This second institution, Electrek says, has recently decreed that their complaint was entitled, and told Tesla to pay each Model S P85D owner roughly $6,000. Tesla still has some time to appeal, but it needs to ponder its options very carefully. If it agrees, more P85D owners might ask for the same treatment, which could raise the total value of the compensations to nearly two million dollars in Norway alone. With the precedent set, other countries could follow.
Now, back to what we were saying at the beginning of this piece, you can't help but feel this is just the owners' way of making some money off Tesla. Saying you were deceived by the 691 hp advertised and suing Tesla for it implies that you're not happy with the real power output of the car. Which, you will agree, is highly unlikely.
On the other hand, it could be that the owners initially wrote Tesla about it, and received one of those arrogant answers the Palo Alto company makes itself guilty of so many times. That probably pissed them off. Well, they might get their revenge soon, and $6,000 isn't bad at all.
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