Three Tesla owners in California filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the automaker on Wednesday, accusing Tesla of falsely advertising the estimated driving ranges of its electric vehicles. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, refers to a recent Reuters article that reported on Tesla’s alleged creation of a “Diversion Team” in Nevada to cancel range-related appointments after receiving numerous owner complaints.
According to the same Reuters report, around a decade ago, Tesla developed algorithms for its in-dash range meter that presented drivers with optimistic projections for the distance their vehicles could travel on a full battery. The directive to present these positive range estimates reportedly came from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The lawsuit alleges that Tesla’s actions constituted a breach of vehicle warranties and engaged in fraud and unfair competition. The plaintiffs, three Tesla owners, cited instances when their vehicles fell significantly short of the advertised ranges and claimed that their complaints to the company were not adequately addressed.
James Porter, one of the plaintiffs and a Model Y owner from Petaluma, California, stated that during one trip, he lost approximately 182 miles of range despite driving only 92 miles.
“Put simply, Tesla has a duty to deliver a product that performs as advertised,” said Adam A. Edwards, an attorney at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, the firm representing the Tesla owners in the lawsuit.
The complaint seeks class-action status to represent all persons in California who purchased new Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model Y, and Model X vehicles, with the aim of claiming unspecified damages.
This is not the only legal challenge Tesla is currently facing. The automaker is also dealing with lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over its Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” technology, as well as its claims regarding the safety of these systems.
Earlier in April, a California Tesla owner filed a proposed consumer class-action lawsuit after Reuters reported that Tesla employees had shared sensitive images and videos captured by cars’ cameras on an internal messaging system. The lawsuit accuses Tesla of violating the privacy of its customers, an allegation that Tesla has denied.
