Tesla faces lawsuit over false advertisement on range
Three Tesla owners in California have filed a proposed class action against the automaker, accusing it of falsely advertising the estimated driving ranges of its electric vehicles.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, points to an article that claimed Tesla had a “Diversion Team” in Nevada to cancel range-related appointments following a surge of owner complaints.
Tesla allegedly developed algorithms for its in-dash range meter that showed drivers optimistic projections for the distance the car could travel on a full battery. The source stated that this directive came from Tesla CEO Elon Musk but it is unclear if such algorithms are still in use today.
Tesla and Elon Musk have not responded to the recent detailed questions from the lawsuit. The class action alleges that Tesla breached vehicle warranties and engaged in fraud and unfair competition. The customers claim that their Teslas did not achieve anywhere near the advertised driving range, even after lodging complaints with the company.
One of the complainants, James Porter, a Model Y owner from California, stated in the lawsuit that on one trip, he lost approximately 293 km of range despite only driving 148 km.
The lawsuit aims to represent all customers in California who purchased Tesla models and seeks unspecified damages.
This is not the first time Tesla has faced legal challenges. The company is also dealing with lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over its Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” technology, as well as claims about the safety of these systems.
In April, a California Tesla owner filed a proposed consumer class action against the company after reports about Tesla employees sharing sensitive images and videos captured by cars’ cameras on an internal messaging system. The lawsuit accuses Tesla of violating the privacy of its customers, which the company has denied.