Singapore’s LTA says the Tesla Model S it tested was a used car, hence its low efficiency

The Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has offered a possible explanation as to why the Tesla Model S that was tested had a high electrical consumption of 444 Wh/km, which caused the owner to fork out a hefty US$10,900 tax.

“Tesla has informed LTA that based on the car’s original Certificate of Conformity, its energy consumption rating was 181 Wh/km when it left the Tesla factory on 28 June 2014,” it said on Facebook after a discussion with the electric car maker. Tesla confirmed this fact with Tech in Asia in a statement.

LTA’s response came just days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong following the social media storm that erupted because of the ordeal faced by Model S owner Joe Nguyen. He applied for an electric vehicle rebate but got the tax instead, as his vehicle was placed under a “CEVS C3 band.”

@Astro_Valdric @TeslaMotors We spoke earlier today and he said he would investigate the situation.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 4, 2016

LTA adds that all imported used cars – including electric ones – have to undergo emissions and fuel efficiency tests before they’re used on Singapore roads.

“This is because the emissions and fuel efficiency of a used car, unlike a new car, can vary significantly depending on its prevailing condition, how it was previously driven and maintained.”

LTA says that had a brand new Model S been tested, it would have fallen within the “CEVS A1 band,” which meant it would enjoy a rebate. Tesla adds that an equivalent car like the Mercedes S-Class S 500 would have more than double the emissions of the Model S.

Tesla says that it will work with LTA to further examine this case to make sure that the latter is “correctly testing our customer’s Model S.”

Joe had earlier disputed whether LTA had applied its emissions test correctly. However, according to UNECE, the United Nations body that developed the test used by Singapore, the LTA appeared to have done so, it told Channel News Asia.

Regarding the 0.5g CO2/Wh grid emission factor used by LTA, the UNECE had this to say: “As far as we can read in follow-up stories, electricity in Singapore seems to be mostly generated by gas-powered plants, hence this rate looks to be within the range of accepted estimates.”