A Tesla electric vehicle is parked at a Tesla Supercharger station in Suwon, South Korea on August 7, 2022.
Seong Joon Cho | Bloomberg Getty Images
South Korea’s antitrust regulator says it will impose a fine of 2.85 billion won ($2.2 million) Tesla for failing to inform customers of the shorter driving range of electric vehicles in low temperatures.
The Korean Fair Trade Commission said that Tesla has expanded “the driving range of the car on a single charge, the effectiveness of fuel costs compared to gasoline vehicles as well as the performance of the Supercharger” on its official local website from August 2019 to now. .
The driving range of US EV manufacturers plunged in cold weather by 50.5% compared to how it was advertised online, the KFTC said in a statement on Tuesday.
Tesla could not immediately be reached for comment.
On its website, Tesla provides winter driving tips, such as pre-conditioning the vehicle with external power sources, and using the updated Energy application to monitor energy consumption, but does not mention the loss of driving range in sub-zero temperatures.
In 2021, Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty, a South Korean consumer group, said that the driving range of most EVs drops by 40% in cold temperatures when batteries need to be heated, with Tesla suffering the most, citing data from the country’s environment. service.
Last year, the KFTC fined German automaker Mercedes-Benz and its Korean unit 20.2 billion won for false advertising related to gas emissions of diesel passenger vehicles.
