South Korea’s KFTC fines Tesla $2.2 million for ‘exaggerating’ driving range of EVs in cold temperature

South Korea’s antitrust regulator announced that it will impose a 2.85 billion won ($2.2 million) fine on US automaker giant Tesla for “exaggerating range” of its electric vehicles (EVs) on its official local websites in August 2019 until recently, Reuters reported.

The Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that Tesla failed to tell its customers the actual driving range of the cars in cold temperatures on a single charge, their fuel effectiveness cost compared to gasoline cars and the performance of ‘superchargers.’

The KFTC in its statement said that the driving range of EV cars in cold temperatures plunged by up to nearly 50.5 per cent in comparison to how they were advertised. 

Watch | World Business Watch: Tesla fined $2.2 mln for exaggerating driving range of EVs

Tesla on its website provides some winter driving tips for customers. This includes pre-conditioning vehicles with external power sources and using its updated Energy app to monitor energy consumption. However, despite these tips, the list doesn’t include the mention of the loss of driving range in sub-zero temperatures. 

Similarly, in 2021 a South Korean consumer group, Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty citing data from the environment ministry said that the driving range for Tesla’s EV dropped up to 40 per cent in cold temperatures when the batteries need to be heated. 

Before Tesla, the KFTC fined German carmaker Mercedes-Benz and its Korean unit 20.2 billion won  ($15.8 million) for false advertising for gas emissions of its diesel passenger vehicles. 

(With inputs from agencies)