South Korea fines Tesla $2.2M for false range claims

KFTC added that the driving range of Tesla's EVs dropped by up to 50.5% than advertised during the cold weather period.

According to media reports, South Korea's Antitrust Regulators could impose a 2.85 billion won (US$ 2.2 million) fine on Tesla for failing to inform customers about the shorter driving range of its EVs in colder temperatures.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that until recently, Tesla exaggerated the driving range of its cars, their fuel-cost effectiveness comparison and the performance of its superchargers on their official country website since August 2019. KFTC further added that the driving range of Tesla's EVs dropped by up to 50.5% than advertised during the cold weather period.

Tesla, on their official website, does provide winter driving tips which include pre-conditioning vehicles and monitoring energy consumption using the app. However, there is no mention of the loss of driving range in sub-zero temperatures.

Extreme temperature is a known factor which affects an electric vehicle's performance. As per a study, an EV outperformed its stated range at just above 20-deg C, but at -15-deg C the EV had only 54% of its rated range.

Reports state that KFTC also fined Mercedes-Benz & its Korean unit 20.2 billion won for false advertising of gas emissions from its diesel vehicles.

Source: Reuters