Tesla Fined by South Korea for Exaggerating Cold Weather Range

From Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

Who could have guessed battery performance would plummet in cold weather?

Tesla fined $2.2M for exaggerating driving range of its vehicles: report

South Korea fine comes as Tesla stock continues to plunge

By Greg Norman FOXBusiness

Tesla is facing a new $2.2 million fine for apparently misleading consumers about the range of its vehicles in cold weather, a report says. 

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission alleged Tuesday that the electric automakerexaggerated the “driving ranges of its cars on a single charge, their fuel cost-effectiveness compared to gasoline vehicles as well as the performance of its Superchargers” on its Korean website from mid-2019 until recently, according to Reuters. 

The actual driving range of Tesla vehicles drops in cold weather by up to 50.5% compared to what was being advertised online, Reuters also reported, citing the Korean agency. 

…Read more: https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/tesla-fined-2-2m-exaggerating-driving-range-vehicles-report

Elon Musk hasn’t been having a good time lately, he has earned the dubious distinction of being the first man to ever lose $200 billion.

I visited South Korea once in winter, temperatures in Seoul were mostly in the low 30s – so not bone chilling cold, but I was glad I packed my hat and gloves. Up in the mountains of course it gets a lot colder. Both North and South Korea have plenty of mountains.

Cold weather can also permanently damage EV batteries. If you own an EV, my understanding is somewhere in the fine print you’ll see a warning to park indoors at night in winter, or at least keep the vehicle plugged in.