South Korean antitrust regulators note that Tesla did not disclose driving ranges are shorter in cold weather.
Tesla has been fined $2.2 million in South Korea for failing to disclose that its cars have less range in cold weather.
The fine has been imposed by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), which states that the ranges of Tesla cars are reduced “by up to 50.5%”.
Less cold autonomy
The antitrust agency claimed that Tesla exaggerated its vehicles’ single-charge ranges, supercharger performance and fuel economy compared to combustion-engine vehicles, according to Reuters .
The KFTC said that Tesla communicated this on its official website in South Korea since August 2019.
To do this, the agency links to an article in which it is shown that the ranges of electric vehicles decrease significantly in colder climates, mainly because the battery that is used to power the cars also heats their interior.
According to Citizen United for Consumer Sovereignty, Tesla vehicles have the highest percentage decline.
The bad news continues for Tesla
Tesla starts the year with a small, but symbolic fine after a not-so-positive 2022 for the company.
The company said on Monday that it set a new quarterly record for EV deliveries in the last three months of 2022 with more than 405,000 (an increase of nearly 97,000 from a year earlier). However, analysts expected Tesla to deliver 418,000 electric vehicles last quarter.
Likewise, its shares have plummeted more than 60% in the last year.