Elon Musk Announces Tesla Model 3 Firmware Update Following Consumer Reports' Underwhelming Review

Shortly after Consumer Reports published its underwhelming review of the Tesla Model 3, the electric car company CEO, Elon Musk, announced the release of a firmware update.

Consumer Reports, an organization that publishes reviews on a wide array of consumer products, has recently issued its road test findings and comments on the Model 3. In it, CR revealed that it is not recommending the all-electric sedan due to a couple of “big flaws" especially considering its 60-0 mph stopping distance.

Responding to the report on Twitter, Musk said CR had an “inconsistent” braking result compared to other reviewers. However, he also recognized that this instance indicates some of the released Model 3 units “have longer braking distances than others.”

In another Twitter reply, Musk argued that the particular Model 3 CR used in their road test is “an early production car.” Musk further explained that the later releases of Model 3 have already been “improved.”

As noted by Quartz, Tesla had a unique approach to the development and mass release of Model 3. The report commented that, unlike in most cases, Tesla decided to deliver Model 3 vehicles by batches alongside rolling out adjustments and improvements to achieve perfection.

Ultimately, Musk promised that Tesla is going to release a firmware update to be released “in a few days” to fix the issue of inconsistent stopping distance among Model 3 cars. “With further refinement, we can improve braking distance beyond initial specs. Tesla won’t stop until Model 3 has better braking than any remotely comparable car,” Musk added.

Meanwhile, CR welcomed Musk’s response in a statement (via The Verge) to their Model 3 review saying that they are “pleased” how serious Tesla is to address the braking test issues. The organization added that they would definitely carry out another road test once Tesla has issued the necessary firmware update.