Top Gear in electric car test trouble

BBC automobile show Top Gear appears to have courted controversy once again, with Tesla Motors claiming that a track test using its electric Roadster was rigged.

Viewers with modified insurance and other policies will have seen the Tesla vehicle gradually slow down during the drag race before being pushed into a garage to be charged up.

Now, the California-based company - whose car has a top speed of 125mph - has issued a writ at the High Court claiming malicious falsehood and libel, believing the scenes to have been faked.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, spokesman Myra Pasek said: "We have repeatedly complained about the inaccuracies and have asked the BBC to correct them, but they ignored us."

According to Tesla Motors, electric Roadster owners in more than 30 countries have saved 500,000 gallons of fuel, covered more than ten million miles and saved 5.3 million pounds of CO2 emissions.

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