Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk told CNBC on Monday that a recent New York Times article claiming that cold weather cuts the mileage on the company's electric car is bogus.
"Essentially, we think the article is a bit of a set up and is unreasonable," Musk said.
During a test drive chronicled in the New York Times article, the charge on the Tesla Model S was not enough to reach the next charging station on his journey up Interstate 95 to Boston. (Watch: Tesla's Big PR Fail)
But Musk told CNBC that after downloading the vehicle logs following the test drive, "it showed in fact (the author) had not charged up to the maximum charge in the car. It's like starting off a drive with a tank that's not full."
And instead of driving to the next Supercharger station to recharge the car, the drive took an extensive detour through Manhattan and drove at speeds which decreased the car's range, Musk said.
In response, to Musk's charges that the article was misleading, the New York Times issued a statement, calling the article completely factual.
"Any suggestion that the account was 'fake' is, of course, flatly untrue," the statement said. "Our reporter followed the instructions he was given in multiple conversations with Tesla personnel. He described the entire drive in the story; there was no unreported detour. And he was never told to plug the car in overnight in cold weather, despite repeated contact with Tesla."
Telsa will announce it fourth-quarter and full-year earnings after the market close on Wednesday, February 20.
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