Tesla CEO Elon Musk has used his influence to fund and design some of the most impressive EVs in the industry. The Tesla Model S Long Range set a new record in electric range with 412 miles. And the Model S Plaid is reportedly the fastest production car on the market with a sub-two-second 0-to-60-mph time.

But Musk has also attracted plenty of attention for his controversial tweets. Sometimes his Twitter comments are playful banter, like his conversations with Ford CEO Jim Farley. However, one of Musk’s recent tweets feels cocky at best and blatantly false at worst.

Elon Musk and Twitter

It wouldn’t be the first time Elon Musk tweeted questionable information, Business Insider reports. He seems to have an obsession with aliens, which is evident by his innovative SpaceX project. He has also confessed to being an alien in a past life, just a year after denying their existence in 2015.

In 2020, Musk tweeted that aliens built the pyramids. This claim was met with callouts from an Egyptian archaeologist and the country’s prime minister himself. 2020 was also the year Musk falsely predicted that COVID-19 wouldn’t be a big deal and voiced his support for Kanye West’s potential presidential campaign. He would later retract that support after controversial statements from West.

Elon Musk also appears to have a problem with criticism. In 2018, he tweeted there should be a database tracking the credibility of any given journalist. He’s quick to call the media “bullies” despite frequently trolling his rivals on Twitter for questions or content he deems “boring”.

His outspoken nature has even landed him in legal trouble. Musk called a British diver a “pedo” on Twitter after the diver refused to use a Tesla submarine. Obviously, many users took this the wrong way and the diver’s reputation was called into question. Musk later apologized and deleted the tweet, saying the term was a common insult where he grew up. 

The diver still tried to sue Musk for slander, but the Tesla CEO was found not guilty. Musk was also sued by the SEC after jokingly tweeting that the organization was a Tesla investor.

Is Elon Musk trolling again?

Elon Musk certainly seems to do a lot of trolling in his spare time, but some of his claims are genuine. He proudly mentioned that Ford and Tesla are the only two American automakers yet to go bankrupt. However, his latest boast on Twitter might not be so factual.

Twitter user Rich Teer asked Musk if there was any hope of replacing the lead-acid batteries in Tesla cars. EV drivers are interested in the new Li-ion 12V battery, which is lighter and more efficient than the lead-acid battery. Musk replied that Tesla would try to make that a reality. And then he took a subtle dig at rivals.

“Unlike other makers of cars, our goal is *not* to profit from service. Best service is not needing service in the first place.”

Elon Musk, Twitter

Tesla batteries can reportedly last 300,000 to 500,000 miles, so that statement might be true from the battery’s perspective.

But do Tesla cars really need less service?

In general, most electric cars don’t need as much service as gas-operated cars. The battery doesn’t need as much maintenance as a gas combustion engine, and EVs require no multispeed transmissions at all. EVs also usually receive over-the-air updates for all their electronic components.

However, that doesn’t mean nobody has ever had a problem with their Tesla EV. These cars are infamous for their shoddy build quality, with the biggest complaints being peeling paint and misaligned doors. Some Tesla models have even been delivered with missing suspension nuts, an issue that definitely needs immediate service.