Tesla faces California class action on its EV range claims
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[August 03, 2023] (Reuters)
- Three Tesla owners in California on Wednesday sued the automaker in a
proposed class action that accuses the company of falsely advertising
the estimated driving ranges of its electric vehicles.
The lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California cites a Reuters article published last week which reported
Tesla had created a "Diversion Team" in Nevada to cancel as many
range-related appointments as possible after becoming inundated with
owner complaints.
Reuters also reported that about a decade ago Tesla had decided to write
algorithms for its in-dash range meter that would show drivers "rosy"
projections for the distance the car could travel on a full battery,
according to a source.
The directive to present the optimistic range estimates came from Tesla
CEO Elon Musk, this person said. Reuters could not determine whether
Tesla still uses algorithms that boost range estimates.
Neither Tesla nor Musk responded to detailed questions from Reuters for
last week's article. They did not immediately respond to requests for
comment about the lawsuit on Wednesday.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/03/images/ads/current/sunag_sda_FAIR_2023.png)
The lawsuit alleges Tesla breached vehicle warranties and engaged in
fraud and unfair competition.
"Put simply, Tesla has a duty to deliver a product that performs as
advertised," Adam A. Edwards, an attorney at Milberg Coleman Bryson
Phillips Grossman, the firm representing Tesla owners in the lawsuit,
said in a statement. The lawsuit's three plaintiffs cite occasions when
their Teslas didn't achieve close to their advertised ranges and said
they had complained to the company without success.
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![](../images/080323PIX/busine99.jpg)
A driver recharges the battery of his
Tesla car, at a Tesla Super Charging station, in a petrol station on
the highway in Chateauvillain, France, February 20, 2023.
REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/03/images/ads/current/atlantabank_quarter_FAIR_2023.png)
James Porter, a Petaluma, California-based Model Y owner, said in
the lawsuit that on one trip he "lost approximately 182 miles of
range—despite only driving 92 miles."
The lawsuit states: "Had Tesla honestly advertised its electric
vehicle ranges, consumers either would not have purchased Tesla
model vehicles, or else would have paid substantially less for
them." The complaint seeks class-action status to represent "all
persons in California who purchased a new Tesla Model 3, Model S,
Model Y, and Model X vehicle." It seeks unspecified damages.
Tesla also faces lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over its Autopilot
and "Full Self-Driving" technology and its claims about the safety
of those systems.
A California Tesla owner also filed a proposed consumer class action
in April after Reuters reported that Tesla employees had shared on
an internal messaging system sensitive images and videos captured by
cars' cameras. The lawsuit accuses Tesla of violating the privacy of
its customers. Tesla has denied those allegations.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Mike Scarcella and Steve Stecklow;
Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Edwina Gibbs)
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