Tesla was sued for false advertising about the mileage of cars
Three owners of Tesla electric cars in California have filed a lawsuit accusing the automaker of false advertising, writes Engadget.
They claim that their cars do not meet the specifications and that they have not been able to file any complaints. According to the lawsuit, customers would either not buy the cars or pay significantly less for them. The owners claim that Tesla committed fraud, breached warranties and engaged in unfair competition.
If the lawsuit gets class action status, it would cover all people in California who bought a Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model X or Model Y. The plaintiffs are hoping for unspecified damages.
The lawsuit was filed after a Reuters report that about a decade ago the company decided to write algorithms for its odometer that would show drivers “rainbow” predictions of how far it can travel on a full battery charge.
When the battery life fell below 50% of the maximum, the algorithm showed drivers more realistic predictions about the trip range. The instruction to present optimistic estimates of the power reserve apparently came from the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk.
Last year, Tesla secretly created a “Diversion Team” in Las Vegas to cancel as many meetings as possible with car owners who had problems with the car’s range.