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Tesla challenges the New York Times over car review

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    Panel weighs in on dispute

  • Duration 5:56
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Well -- a very public spat is breaking out between electric carmaker Tesla Motors.

And the New York Times this after times reporter John Broder.

Wrote a very negative review of his experience during a test drive of the Tesla model -- Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk claims -- is reporting was inaccurate.

Charging quote.

When the facts didn't suit his opinion he simply changed the facts.

But times spokesperson tells foxnews.com.

Our story was fair and accurate.

We are in the process of reviewing those specific claims in -- was blog post and we will respond to those when that review is complete.

Let's talk about this unusual public spat -- Judith Miller a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter and author.

Kirsten Powers is a columnist for the Daily Beast both are Fox News contributors.

Judy you mentioned just before we got on air here that you used to cover the car industry -- you know a thing or two about this kind of thing.

Well I know something about the Chrysler corporation but I do think that this is a bit.

They tempest in -- Tesla.

Look you have a he said he said you have two sets of conflicting facts here according to the head of the company line mosque.

Vs Jonathan rendered John Broder who's a veteran reporter the New York Times very solid reputation.

And we have to get to the bottom of the facts right now we just have a set of allegations.

But I do think it's interesting.

That Broder said that Elon Musk called him before the story appeared to apologize.

For the fact that the test run which -- the company proposed hadn't gone very well.

And said yelling your right about needing charging stations -- a 140 rather than 200 miles of -- Yeah because this wasn't just a -- a review of the car this was also.

-- review of the whole system that allows you to plug in you know pull off the interstate I 95 in this case on the East Coast.

And plug in for a little while and sort of refuel your batteries.

Well I think it.

Judy writes that he said he said you've read through everything it's hard to know exactly immune to disagreeing on some pretty fundamental things -- it -- I think we'll be nice to there was a third party that can look at the data.

To confirm that what the company saying is true and try to reconcile it.

But I big CEO lost some credibility for me and when he accused the journalists -- being out.

Basically to get them.

What is the motivation of New York Times to be out to get an electric car company and and that just doesn't.

Make any sense you know I mean again it's we can be honest mistakes but the idea that he would have intentionally lied about all this stuff I had it just doesn't add -- the other problem is that WIRED Magazine asks Tesla.

To release -- raw data had not just here -- counted the data but the actual data itself.

And so far the company hasn't done that that does raise some questions as well.

Well it's kind of uninteresting question for all of us because we are all sort of co owners of Tesla -- that that company got hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars as part of the president's you know green energy thing.

It here's part of the -- Broder wrote last year the state of the electric car is dismal the victim of hyped expectations technological flops.

High costs.

And a hostile political climate.

That was.

Something he wrote.

-- you know not not particularly about the Tesla but then when he drove the Tesla he would like and he rewrote -- negative review.

And he wrote I spent nearly an hour at -- Milford service plaza.

As the Tesla sucked electrons from the hitching post that's that recharging station.

A a graphic -- that accompanies the article laughter -- looked at they pulled some kind of you know on electronic card reader.

From the car that he drove.

A graphic that.

Accompanies the article said he actually spent 58 minutes there.

Mosque the CEO of Tesla notes that the car's electronic log shows the card was plugged in for just 47 minutes and would have left with a higher charge.

Had -- been plugged in.

For 58 minutes as claim so -- it is as you say a lot of he said she said but it's.

It's two very powerful institutions Elon Musk made a lot of money with when he sold the day.

The you know has obviously a lot of technological innovative companies.

Out there.

And the New York Times is is no slouch either when it comes to you know.

Right and actually reviewed this car and West Coast.

And they gave it a very good review of the problem here seems to be.

The impact of temperature on the lithium battery and whether or not you need to recharge more frequently when the temperature drops and that was the point that.

-- was trying to make so I think we need need more data here.

Before we come to a conclusion.

I agree with -- -- -- what we really need is an -- -- -- independent arbiter but there's a great deal riding for Tesla because if they have to install.

These charging stations that are.

Fast as opposed to the overnight ones.

At a shorter distances is gonna cost the company a lot of money so a lot is at stake which may explain why he decided to go on to Twitter.

To make his case well and and this test drive took place at a time when the temperature you know that cold snap hit the East Coast stand and temperatures were thirty degrees and well below down and it.

You know and like well it also sounds like -- you read it it's a pretty.

Dense back and forth between the two of them but it sounds asserted that customer service problem and that the the journalist was calling and trying to get help -- he was doing when he was told to do.

And it just sounds like you know he he he you know either he was getting bad advice from the customer service people or he didn't understand it and and that's -- -- -- in the has implications for the car that's hard to understand is a 100000 dollar -- alcohol anonymous is going to be reading it around for more -- his watch tomorrow.

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