Tesla's Odometer Lawsuit Could Be EV Industry's Dieselgate Moment

12 points by sundaeofshock 1 month ago | 8 comments
  • rsynnott 1 month ago
    No it couldn't be, don't be silly. Dieselgate was a systemic industry-wide problem, with most manufacturers involved to at least some extent, and not just car makers but also the supply chain (for whatever reason, in the popular imagining it was mostly just VW, but in reality the corruption was far more widespread). Even if the allegations are correct, this is, at worst, just a single manufacturer; no reason to think that it's more widespread.
    • josephcsible 1 month ago
      So much for journalism, I guess. The only estimation that's happening is of the remaining battery range. The odometer is recorded exactly. The case's whole evidence is some random anecdotes of people who feel like their odometer is higher than they expect.
      • croes 1 month ago
        >Nyree Hinton’s 2020 Model Y odometer logged 72 miles/day despite a 20-mile commute

        We aren't talking about 5 miles off every 100 miles

        • josephcsible 1 month ago
          Yes, the claim is extraordinary. But that should make it even easier to produce some hard evidence, none of which has materialized.
          • rasz 1 month ago
            'I keep strict calorie deficit diet but keep gaining weight' ways every My 600-lb Life participant, self reporting is alway unreliable or as dr House says Everybody Lies.
            • croes 1 month ago
              >Everybody Lies

              So you say Tesla lies?

              That's the point of the lawsuit

          • __m 1 month ago
            > The odometer is recorded exactly

            Is that an anecdote or do you have access to the source (source that the affected deployments are based on)?

            • josephcsible 1 month ago
              No, I don't have access to Tesla's source code. The point I'm trying to make is that the claim in the lawsuit is totally unsubstantiated. For example, it says this:

              > Specifically, Tesla Odometer System are integrally linked to Tesla Vehicles’ energy consumption metrics and range estimation algorithms, as evidenced by Tesla Inc.’s patents and internal methodology detailed in Patent US8054038B2. This patent confirms that Tesla Odometer System readings are not direct measurements of distance traveled, but are instead derived from energy consumption data, driving behavior patterns, and predictive algorithms. The patent explicitly describes a “miles-to-electrical energy conversion factor” that varies dynamically based on road and traffic conditions.

              But https://patents.google.com/patent/US8054038B2/en says nothing about being used for an odometer.

              And the other evidence it cites is literally Reddit posts such as this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaLounge/comments/1au6y1l/tesla_...

              The entire suit is basically "I don't think I drove my car as many miles as my odometer said, and a few people on Reddit said vaguely similar things, so Tesla must be systematically rigging their odometers to over-report mileage".