Lawsuit Claims Tesla Exaggerated its EVs' Range

Has Tesla been fudging the numbers on its EVs’ electric range? A California class-action lawsuit is alleging exactly that, claiming their EVs showed rosy range projections, eventually leading to a “Diversion Team” in Nevada cancelling the huge influx of range-related appointments.

According to Reuters – which was actually cited in the lawsuit – Tesla wrote an algorithm about a decade ago showing the best-case scenario for its in-dash range meter, or how far it should be able to travel on a full battery.

Once the capacity dropped below 50%, the vehicles would suddenly show the actual range, resulting in a severe disparity.

In fact, according to a Model Y owner named in the lawsuit, on one trip he "lost approximately 182 miles of range — despite only driving 92 miles."

The lawsuit added that "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."

A separate SAE International study reported that all EVs come up about 15% short of their advertised range, though in all fairness, a large number of gas-powered vehicles fail to meet their specified MPG range estimates (including my hybrid, which doesn’t quite hit its advertised combined range).

Though in Tesla’s case, the order to create the algorithm and present the exaggerated range estimates came straight from the top, CEO Elon Musk.

If the lawsuit comes to fruition, it would cover "all persons in California who purchased a new Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model Y, and Model X vehicle."­