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German Environmental Minister Returns Tesla Model S Because It Lacked Enough Range
By Eric BrandtAugust 22, 2017

Remmel, a member of Germany’s Green Party and the environment minister for North Rhein-Westphalia, wanted to see if he could realistically daily-drive an EV. He chose a Tesla Model S as his test car. The report from Automotive News does not specify which Model S he drove, but it does say it had a certified 500 kilometer (311 mile) range. Based on that, our best guess is that it was a 100D, or possibly a P 100D.

After 43 trips in the EV, however, he brought it back. In an internal memo obtained under Germany’s Freedom of Information Act, one of Remmel’s senior aides told one of the state’s fleet managers that the Model S was “ill suited” for everyday use on official business due to real-life range falling short of expectations. The memo went on to say the Tesla couldn’t even go 400 kilometers on a charge, which means they couldn’t take a trip farther than 150 km before they had to turn around and head back. The aide noted that "the style of driving has to be adjusted to an extreme degree to the charge status of the battery."

German Environmental Minister Returns Tesla Model S Because It Lacked Enough Range - The Drive
Tesla Model S ditched by Germany as a government vehicle

 

..... 28. August 2017 20:13 Uhr

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Vision electromobility
Why a Tesla S90 D for a Green Minister was not good enough

Gernot Kramper

From 2030, diesel and gasoline are to be banned. Only then e-cars are to be built - so the greens want. For the own minister, however, even a Tesla for 110,000 euros was not good enough.

If it is the Greens, first-rate engines are from yesterday and secondly the devil. So what is more obvious than to retrofit the future electric vehicle technology. This was also thought by Johannes Remmel, when he decided for a company car Tesla S. Remmel was at that time a green minister for the environment in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Tesla S is characterized by a number of factors: it is the most powerful and luxurious power limousine in the world and promises the largest range with 500 kilometers. There is probably no tailor-made leasing offer for Tesla, as offered by other manufacturers, so it was decided to buy Tesla rather than lease.
Used as a service car

This should be significantly cheaper - but it was much more expensive. The car was never really used. According to an internal memo compiled by fleet management, the Tesla was not usable. The bold vision of electric mobility was quickly absorbed by the pitiful realities of everyday life.

Since North Rhine-Westphalia is not a city, the minister sometimes had to travel a few kilometers. Since its destinations were not necessarily adjacent to a loading pillar, the range should be sufficient for round trip. 90 minutes of loading pause also did not fit to his term calendar. With a range of 500 kilometers this would not have been a problem. The car park, however, failed to carry this distance on real roads with a battery charger. Even 400 kilometers could not be reached. Reliable you could count on a maximum of 300 kilometers range - this limits the radius of use to 150 kilometers.
Not comfortable enough

A further remark on the qualities of Tesla is also destructive. In the case of service vehicles, attention is paid to the quality of the seats. Because the driver's seat serves as a workplace for the chauffeur, the requirements are so high that it is hardly possible to use small cars - even if a modest minister might want it. At Tesla the rear bench, on which the minister had to sit, was reprimanded. Both comfort and the possibility to work there left a lot to be desired for a car of the luxury class. After only 43 trips the car was not used any more. This happened at Remmel's time.
Motto: Preach water and drink wine

Two things are instructive in this example. There is on the one hand the safe handling of tax money. Apparently the car was bought blindly. Both the insufficient practice range as well as the uncomfortable backbank could have been discovered on a trial or rental weekend. In addition, the Greens are a party which the population wants to impose far-reaching restrictions on climate protection. However, one's own minister finds the world's most luxurious electronics unacceptable.

A few days ago, the successor Remmels, Christina Schulze Föcking of the CDU, decided, as expected, to use the expensive Tesla. The spokesman pointed out that "the maximum range was in the long-range tests, depending on driving style and route profile, at less than 300 kilometers, which could only be exhausted if the batteries were subsequently recharged Thereby ... significantly more difficult. "

Conclusion: The debacle is not due to Tesla, but to the naivete of the minister. The fact that the theoretical range is shrinking in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is a good thing for a car driver. Also, it is obvious that the actual distance traveled of a vehicle in the chauffeur operation is generally larger than in the case of a self-propelled vehicle.

Wieso ein Tesla S90 D für einen Grünen-Minister nicht gut genug war | STERN.de



The Tesla S90 D is an excellent vehicle, but it lacks the reach of a real company car.