The tumultuous relationship between the New York Times and Tesla has become somewhat of an urban legend. Depending on who you ask the Times journalist, John M. Broder didn’t drive the car correctly, pushing it past advisable speeds, and forcing too much power from the latest player in new green technology. On the other side of the spectrum, Tesla Motor Company failed to provide adequate information, didn’t disclose the potential for battery failure in cold weather, and illegally monitored Broder’s trip along their east coast charging network through the car’s interface.
The contention is likely based on truth from both ends, and perhaps forces the consumer to recognize that even Tesla, run by the real life Tony Stark, might actually have some flaws.
But, in addition to the public realizing the very touchable nature of a car company that seemed so untouchable, the Press has been forced to grapple with them as well. In the latest gaffe of non-auto reporters reporting autos CBS’ 60 Minutes admitted to dubbing over the sound of a near whisper quiet Tesla engine with a regular engine sound – an overt and basic mistake.
The auto website Jalopnik was the first to call out CBS, who admitted to the mistake immediately, almost with a well-if-you-knew-about-the-mistake-why’d-you-let-it-air speed.
The better question is, however, why can’t these news organizations, known for their excellence and integrity in the field, keep up with a simple car company? What is so hard to report about another electric car, no matter how cool it is?
I think the issue stems from the fact that Tesla is not just another electric car. With the design influence of supercars, the company transparency of a Scandinavian government, and a powerhouse CEO whose full time job is running his personal space station, Tesla is unlike anything the world has ever seen.
Earlier on I wrote about how Tesla, along with certain hybrid supercars, is the changing face of alternative energy, elevating popularity and consumer desire alike. But more than that, it seems that Tesla is the future incarnate, the spaceship we’ve all been waiting for.
It seems that the future can’t be covered by traditional journalism. Because, while the news has managed a firm grip on automotive giants, like the Ford Mustang and the Toyota Prius (giants relative to history, more than just the car hobby,) Tesla seems less a car of a different color than a different species entirely.
The company is changing more than just cars. Its latest installation of a supercharger network, which spans the country L.A. to N.Y., (hands off, Broder,) allows certain Tesla models to charge to full capacity in less than 90 minutes, (that’s an episode and a half of 60 Minutes!) and to half charge in less than 30. It’s a feat that wildly changes the face of 12 hour charging times, and one that sets precedence for the future of alternative energy on a global scale.
And more than that – Tesla is a car company that takes some responsibility. Elon Musk wasn’t the type to wait around for government initiatives to subsidize infrastructure costs. He wasn’t going to wait around for a desire for the electric car. Like the earliest gasoline stations holding drivers hostage to fuel, charging stations had been stuck in a catch-22 with their cars. But this network, and the company that implemented it, have made that notion a thing of the past.
Perhaps the non-car reporters, and the non-car enthusiasts will never be able to properly address the magnitude of a car like the Tesla. Perhaps us auto reports won’t either, grappling with a company that’s no doubt leagues ahead of the rest, and likely cooking up the next great technology in their secret California lairs.
That might be okay. Coming from the journalism side I shouldn’t say that – after all, integrity and objective reporting are integral to the field standard. But coming from an auto enthusiast it all makes sense. We, as auto reporters, news reporters, as a country, and as a global community, will always be playing catchup to the Tesla, always one step behind the next great thing, as it dazzles, and wows, and awes the world, changing the very tide.
And hell, if we’re on our way to future, there’s nothing cooler than riding in on Tesla’s coattails.