Tesla is fined for exaggerating driving range in cold weather
Heather Hamilton
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Tesla is facing a fine of $2.2 million for not telling its customers about the electric vehicle’s shorter driving range in colder temperatures.
The fine comes from the Korea Fair Trade Commission, South Korea’s antitrust regulator, and will cost the business 2.85 billion won.
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The commission said Tesla’s local website overstated its vehicles’ “driving ranges … on a single charge, their fuel cost-effectiveness compared to gasoline vehicles as well as the performance of its Superchargers” beginning in 2019, choosing not to mention the effects cooler weather can have on driving range.
The KFTC said in a statement to Reuters on Tuesday that the EV’s driving range lowers by up to 50.5% in cold weather in comparison to what the company says online.
Tesla owners in the United States have also expressed frustration with the workings of the electric vehicle.
A brother and sister duo recently rented a Tesla and found out the “battery would drain faster than it would charge” while driving from Orlando, Florida, to Wichita, Kansas, in late December.
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Virginia radio host Domenick Nati also shared a video on Christmas Eve showing how his Tesla would not charge in the cold weather. Nati was left stranded and had to cancel his holiday plans.
In 2021, South Korean consumer group Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty said the driving range of electric vehicles often dropped by 40% in cold weather due to batteries needing to be heated. The Tesla vehicle reportedly suffered the worst decline.