Telsa Motors is still recovering from a bad review of its Model S in The New York Times. On February 8th, John M. Broder wrote an article titled "Stalled Out on Tesla’s Electric Highway" where he listed all of the problems he encountered with the car and charging stations during a drive from Newark, Delaware, to Milford, Connecticut. Mr. Musk did not take the review very well, noting on his company blog that Telsa Motors was "played for a fool":
When Tesla first approached The New York Times about doing this story, it was supposed to be focused on future advancements in our Supercharger technology. There was no need to write a story about existing Superchargers on the East Coast, as that had already been done by Consumer Reports with no problems! We assumed that the reporter would be fair and impartial, as has been our experience with The New York Times, an organization that prides itself on journalistic integrity. As a result, we did not think to read his past articles and were unaware of his outright disdain for electric cars. We were played for a fool and as a result, let down the cause of electric vehicles. For that, I am deeply sorry.
If Mr. Musk wanted attention for his new car he got it.
This is just one of many battles being fought by Mr. Musk as he rolls out his cars nationwide. Last October the Los Angeles Times discussed Telsa Motors struggle to bypass traditional franchise networks and sell directly to customers. In the article titled "Shock to the System," the South African owner of Telsa Motors questioned the U.S. approach for selling cars:
"Existing franchise dealers have a fundamental conflict of interest between selling gasoline cars," Musk said. "It is impossible for them to explain the advantages of going electric without simultaneously undermining their traditional business."
State automobile dealer associations are now suing Telsa Motors to halt his direct sales. Again, the feisty Mr. Musk is making a name for himself for himself and his cars.
With all of this, SpaceX is still on schedule to send a Dragon capsule to the ISS on March 1 for its second resupply mission. Let's hope no one from The New York Times is on capsule rating the ride.
