Tesla is fined millions in South Korea for misleading its range in the cold
The South Korean market regulator has imposed a fine of 2.1 million euros on Tesla because the EV manufacturer did not provide customers with sufficient information about the range in cold conditions. That range can be up to 49.5 percent lower in the cold.
Tesla violated South Korea’s advertising law with three false claims, says the South Korean Fair Trade Commission. The company is said to have misled customers with the range of EVs, because, for example, it advertised the Model 3 with a range of 446.1 kilometers. According to the South Korean Ministry of the Environment, this range is correct, but only at temperatures of about 20 to 30 degrees Celsius and with a mixture of highway and city kilometers.
If the Model 3 Long Range drives in colder conditions and only in the city center, the car will not travel further than 220.7 kilometers, says the South Korean Ministry of the Environment. However, Tesla only says on its website that a car with a full battery can drive a certain distance, such as 446.1 kilometers. According to the regulator, the company does not sufficiently indicate that this could be half as much in other circumstances, such as in the cold.
The Fair Trade Commission also points to Tesla’s American site, where the company indicates that the stated range is a maximum. On the South Korean website, the company says that the customer may be able to drive more than the stated range.
The regulator also imposed a fine of 2.852 billion Korean won because the company in South Korea was allegedly not clear about the competencies of the Supercharger charging network. For example, Tesla advertises that a Model 3 Long Range can drive 247 kilometers with 15 minutes of charging time, but the Fair Trade Commission also finds this misleading. This charging time depends on the speed of the charging station used, the outside temperature and the condition of the battery, which Tesla would not communicate clearly enough to customers.
Finally, the company is also said to have misled customers with the savings claims that customers would make, because after purchasing a Tesla they no longer have to buy expensive gasoline or diesel. The Fair Trade Commission states that Tesla had been violating the law since August 2019.