Elon Musk, supposed proponent of free and open conversation on his social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), apparently isn't in favor of the same transparency over at his more successful company, Tesla. An exclusive Reuters special report filed on Thursday details Musk's requested cover-up of Tesla car drivers' complaints about misleading projections for the mileage range on its electric cars.

So many drivers have been experiencing far less than expected mileage range capabilities that “Tesla employees had been instructed to thwart any customers complaining about poor driving range from bringing their vehicles in for service. Last summer, the company quietly created a ‘Diversion Team' in Las Vegas to cancel as many range-related appointments as possible.”

The article adds that “the Austin, Texas-based electric carmaker deployed the team because its service centers were inundated with appointments from owners who had expected better performance based on the company’s advertised estimates and the projections displayed by the in-dash range meters of the cars themselves, according to several people familiar with the matter.”

Apparently Tesla has made it a point for some time to manipulate its vehicles' range-estimating software to exaggerate potential driving distance. The report explains, “the company decided about a decade ago, for marketing purposes, to write algorithms for its range meter that would show drivers ‘rosy' projections for the distance it could travel on a full battery, according to a person familiar with an early design of the software for its in-dash readouts.”

It continues: “Then, when the battery fell below 50% of its maximum charge, the algorithm would show drivers more realistic projections for their remaining driving range, this person said. To prevent drivers from getting stranded as their predicted range started declining more quickly, Teslas were designed with a ‘safety buffer,' allowing about 15 miles (24 km) of additional range even after the dash readout showed an empty battery, the source said.”

The source further added that the directive to present the optimistic range estimates came from none other than Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk himself.

“Elon wanted to show good range numbers when fully charged,” the person stated. “When you buy a car off the lot seeing 350-mile, 400-mile range,” the person continued, “it makes you feel good.”

It sure does — although finding out Elon Musk lied to you about how far your Tesla can actually go on a full charge and then making it more difficult to air those grievances out at a service appointment leaves you feeling decidedly less warm and fuzzy. Musk's shady actions may have current and prospective electric car drivers moving from feelings of range anxiety to full-on range rage.