Tesla faces $2.2m fine in South Korea for overstating driving range

South Korea is set to slap a fine of about US$2.2 million on Tesla for allegedly overstating the driving range of its electric vehicles (EVs), Reuters reported.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission said that the Elon Musk-led company didn’t let consumers know about its vehicles’ shorter range in cold weather. The regulator shared that in lower temperatures, Tesla cars’ driving range can get 50.5% worse than what the US firm advertises.

The report also said that in 2021, local consumer group Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty found that most EVs’ effective ranges fall 40% in lower temperatures, with Tesla’s offerings getting impacted the most.

Tesla has just reported it delivered a record 405,278 vehicles in the last quarter of 2022. However, it still missed Wall Street’s estimate of 431,117 vehicles.

Last month, Tesla also made its most recent Asian expansion to Thailand after ramping up its hiring efforts in the country. The company looks to make its first vehicle deliveries in the country by Q1 2023.

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