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Tesla to sue Top Gear

  • 30-03-2011 10:55am
    #1
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,972 ✭✭✭✭


    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/30/tesla-sue-top-gear
    Electric sports car maker Tesla Motors is sueing the BBC's Top Gear TV programme for allegedly faking a scene showing the company's Roadster car running out of electricity and slowing to a halt in a race.

    The legal move is the culmination of a row that has rumbled on between the show and Telsa since the episode was first broadcast in 2008. Specialist libel law firm Carter-Ruck issued the writ on behalf of the firmon Tuesday at the high court because the scene was still being shown onworldwide repeats and was available on DVD, and the BBC had failed to correct it. The firm expects to recover not more than £100,000 in damages.

    In the race with a petrol-powered Lotus Elise, the £87,000 electric car was shown having tostop for a recharge. But the car never ran out of electricity.


Comments

  • #2
    muckwarrior
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,100 ✭✭✭muckwarrior


    Reported here too http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/tesla-sues-top-gear-for-libel-new-stig-unavailable-for-comment/

    We all know top gear stage some stuff in the name of entertainment, but if they really did this then it'll be hard take anything they say/do seriously.


  • #3
    amacachi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,316 ✭✭✭✭amacachi


    Carter Ruck, nuff said.


  • #4
    Myrddin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 ✭✭✭✭Myrddin


    Ridiculous, surely Tesla havn't a leg to stand on with Top Gear being an entertainment show rather than a consumer device? If a car breaks down in a film, are film companies to get sued too?

    Nonsense, we all know the car didn't need a recharge...but it won't mean any less sales for Tesla :rolleyes:


  • #5
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    In the race with a petrol-powered Lotus Elise, the £87,000 electric car was shown having tostop for a recharge. But the car never ran out of electricity.

    But surely you'd want to stop and recharge before you run out of electricity. Just like you put petrol in your car before it runs out


  • #6
    Buffman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,875 ✭✭✭Buffman


    4 April update: Andy Wilman, executive producer on Top Gear, has responded to the claims on his blog, writing: "We never said that the Tesla's true range is only 55 miles, as opposed to their own claim of 211, or that it had actually ran out of charge. In the film our actual words were: "We calculated that on our track it would run out after 55 miles". The first point here is that the track is where we do our tests of sports cars and supercars, as has happened ever since Top Gear existed. This is where cars are driven fast and hard, and since Tesla calls its roadster "The Supercar. Redefined." it seemed pretty logical to us that the right test was a track test. The second point is that the figure of 55 miles came not from our heads, but from Tesla's boffins in California. They looked at the data from that car and calculated that, driven hard on our track, it would have a range of 55 miles."
    Reading that I'm not sure Tesla have much of a case. It'll be a bit of free PR for them anyway!

    FYI, if you move to a 'smart' meter electricity plan, you CAN'T move back to a non-smart plan.

    You don't have to take a 'smart' meter if you don't want one, opt-out is available.

    Buy drinks in 3L or bigger plastic bottles or glass bottles or cartons to avoid the DRS fee.



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  • #7
    jaykhunter
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,013 ✭✭✭✭jaykhunter


    Buffman wrote: »
    Reading that I'm not sure Tesla have much of a case. It'll be a bit of free PR for them anyway!

    this kind of free publicity really aggravates me.


  • #8
    windsurfer99ie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 184 ✭✭windsurfer99ie


    amacachi wrote: »
    Carter Ruck, nuff said.

    Private Eye were threatened with litigation by Carter Ruck in the 80's, because they constantly called them "Carter F***". Eventually they were forced to print an apology, and they promised they would no longer call them "Carter F***" - they switched to "Farter F***" instead.


  • #9
    homer simpson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,852 ✭✭✭homer simpson


    I just seen there that the high court threw out tesla's claim liable claim last week and today a high court judge said that unless Telsa could prove the program damaged them that he would throw out that claim too!

    I'm on the fence on this, I guess its a good thing as it means the show won't be effected but at the same time does it mean that the TG knows that they can pretty much say what the want about car's and know it is very unlikely to have any re precautions.


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