{"id":12569,"date":"2013-02-21T23:40:08","date_gmt":"2013-02-22T07:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pluginamerica.eh\/lessons-from-a-test-drive-disaster\/"},"modified":"2023-03-07T12:59:41","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T17:59:41","slug":"lessons-test-drive-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pluginamerica.org\/lessons-test-drive-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from a Test Drive Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan has now weighed in on the famous John Broder Model S test drive with a “careless” verdict<\/a>. A public editor review of any story is notable; for the Times <\/em>to review the story speaks volumes about this moment for electrification. The carelessness in Broder’s story was confirmed by multiple test drives along the same stretch that yielded a better result.<\/p>\n

Based on input from many of our S owners, we had questioned Broder’s claims, too – particularly ones about the interior cabin temperature and his driving speed that were contradicted by the data logs – and had called the drive fake. We take that back and accept that Mr. Broder was simply careless.<\/p>\n

That the initial story and accompanying picture of the car on the flatbed could make its way into the Times<\/em> speaks to how deeply it resonated with the preconceived notions of the editorial staff that passed it along to publication. While this may in retrospect serve as a coming out moment for electrification, EV advocates must recognize that popularity creates a paradox – as the cars become ever more popular, the background expertise that first-time drivers bring to the cars will likely continue moving lower and lower. With that, we offer these lessons learned:<\/p>\n