Tesla faces investigation over allegedly exaggerated vehicle range

Reuters previously claimed that Tesla wrote algorithms about a decade ago that show the exaggerated driving range to the drivers of the Tesla electric cars through the in-dash display. However, in reality, the range is significantly lower than the showcased one. The report also alleged that Tesla even set up a ‘Diversion Team’ in order to cancel the range-related service appointments.

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Tesla reportedly deployed the team because its service centres were receiving relentless calls from the owners who had expected better range from their respective electric cars based on the automaker’s advertised estimates and the projections displayed by the in-dash display. The service centres were reportedly inundated with appointments. Tesla reportedly tried to cover this up by cancelling the appointments.

This comes as the latest investigation against Tesla, as the US auto major has been already facing a range of other probes related to its famous Autopilot driver assistance technology, which has been allegedly involved in a series of accidents and guided the vehicles falsely. In multiple cases, Tesla’s Autopilot technology has been accused of not acting properly as and when it was supposed to, which resulted in fatal crashes, even killing people. This prompted the US government’s federal road safety agency National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to launch probes into those accidents to find the reason behind the crashes and if the Autopilot technology is at fault.

First Published Date: 31 Aug 2023, 09:25 AM IST