[georgieporgie]

Again, you’re entirely missing the point, namely that they decieved the viewer about how this came to be, not whether it was inconvenient to run out of charge.

No, you're missing the point that it's a television show. As such, things must be done in a predictable, safe, and visually appealing manner. They can't have the crew sputtering to a stop on a blind crest or busy highway.

The show you want would go like this:

Clarkson: "Welcome to Top Gear. Tonight, our challenge is to drive electric cars from X to Y!

hosts climb into cars

May: "Oh, the on-board computer tells me I can't go that far."

Clarkson: "And on that bombshell, thank you for watching!"

That version communicates exactly the same point, but with zero entertainment.

Your SCUBA example is ludicrous, and completely the opposite of what happened here. i.e. increasing danger.

[raganwald]

I get that your point is that since it’s “entertainment,” they have a blank cheque to do whatever they like to make whatever point they like, and that misleading the viewer about something other than what they want to convey is fine.

Believe me when I say, I understand you, I just don’t agree with you.

[batasrki]

The overarching point is that there aren't recharging stations as ubiquitous as the fuel pumps and that it takes anywhere between 30 minutes and 12 hours to recharge the batteries. Was the point proven clumsily, yes, it's Top Gear, they're nothing if not clumsy especially Jeremy Clarkson.

The point still stands. Also note that Nissan itself says that repeated fast charging of the Leaf's battery will cause it to be unable to hold a full charge. The fast charge option being the 30 minute, 80% charge option which is the fastest you can charge a currently-in-production electric vehicle.

These are the facts and there's no agreeing or disagreeing with them. Top Gear presented them in a clumsy way, but they're still facts.

[georgieporgie]

No, you still don't understand me. Or, you want people to be endangered for the sake of... what, running out of electricity a few miles further down the road?

They didn't mislead the viewer about anything. Did you watch the show? They were very clear about how many miles were left. I fail to see what your problem is, beyond, "they did not promote the things I like, and they focused on issues which I want to ignore."

Edit: upon re-reading what you wrote, it's clear to me that you really don't understand what I'm saying. This isn't about freedom to do whatever they want to prove some point. This is about how a television show is made. Television is produced, deal with it.