Presto to power a hybrid fleet Websites may not always be accurate, but they are often the first source of any info on EVs. We know of a Nissan Leaf owner who went out of his way to visit the local dealer before buying his Leaf, just to make sure he was not getting duped. The owner said: “I wanted to check if the dealer or the used car guys were telling the truth.” The site does have its own agenda, of course, since Tesla Motors and NIO are both part of its coverage, and that can make it unreliable. Nonetheless, the site has been pretty accurate on EVs. We think the only “lie” that might be going on is with Tesla: Tesla’s Supercharging Network covers 684 stations and, for now, that’s its only ‘real’ charging infrastructure. It doesn’t seem to be as reliable as we might like, or that it’s ever been able to fill its massive stock of cars. We found many customers trying to buy a used Tesla and having trouble, or customers who had had their car’s battery drained due to an owner with a Tesla who neglected to charge up their car. “Electric cars are not going to be reliable or commonplace without these charging stations, and Tesla and NIO need to step up the game and expand their infrastructure and their charging network,” we said. This is a big deal because even if Tesla owners buy NIO’s cars, they are likely going to have to depend on Tesla’s charging infrastructure. Update: Tesla responds At the time of publication, Tesla was apparently investigating this website. “We at Tesla have never had any involvement with websites spreading misinformation about our company and its products. We urge consumers to be wary of the many thousands of websites with the sole purpose of attacking and disparaging Tesla and its products, and instead check the official source for the company’s latest news: tesla.com,” said a Tesla spokesperson. Update: August 14, 2019 Tesla CEO Elon Musk has apparently heard about the situation and sent us a message. We appreciate this news, and he was kind enough to share an image of what appears to be a Tesla prototype, which he says is designed to charge at the speed of sound, the Tesla spokesperson told us. But Tesla is also not getting dragged into this. “For what it’s worth, Tesla does not have anything to do with Cars Database.com. We have no involvement with the site or its founder.” This story is developing. Note from the author: This is the first we’ve heard of the Cars Database, but it’s interesting that the site has been picking up steam even though the owner behind it doesn’t identify himself. Some have questioned if the site is a troll, since the owner, while providing a link to his Twitter account, has set his bio to “A Chinese kid who just turned 21, still haven’t discovered his true identity.” However, the owner doesn’t appear to want the site to get attention. In an email to me this week, he asked that I not disclose his identity. The site will likely be updated with NIO and Tesla’s charging networks soon, since both have just made more charging stations public. We’ve updated our story with more details. In its original version, this story said that Tesla had said “We have nothing to do with” Cars Database.com. But that is not true, the spokesperson told us. Advertisement