Regulators in South Korea are fining Tesla 2.85 billion won ($2.2 million) for multiple reasons, including not telling its customers how the range of its cars drop in cold temperatures. According to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), per Reuters, Tesla's website has exaggerated the "driving ranges of its cars on a single charge, their fuel cost-effectiveness compared to gasoline vehicles," and "the performance of its Superchargers" on its South Korean website since 2019.
According to the KFTC, Tesla model's driving range can drop by 50.5 percent in freezing temperatures compared to the range advertised on the website.
While Tesla does provide winter driving tips, including pre-conditioning batteries with a power source and monitoring energy consumption using its energy app, there's no mention of range dropping in cold weather.
How cold weather affects batteries is a problem for all electric vehicles, particularly in predominantly cold countries, but it's not something some EV makers broadcast to customers. Using heating and seat warmers compounds the problem as well. According to the Canadian telemetric provider, Geotab, most electric-only vehicles suffer the same issues in cold weather. Geotab says that the range starts to drop drastically at around five degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius) but can improve at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and above.
While we're not familiar with Korean advertising law, it is painfully apparent automakers should be communicating better on how different conditions affect range. If a car's range can be seasonal, it's only fair to make that clear before people buy a car. The same goes for people living in generally colder climates. It seems logical that the range should be calculated for freezing weather and averages for cold and warm weather.
Tesla has now updated its South Korea website with fine print saying (not just for the Model S shown below) "Performance and mileage may vary by model. The displayed drivable distance may vary depending on external factors such as speed, weather conditions, and road conditions." However, we don't see anything similar on its US website, and it's clearly the bare minimum provided for legal reasons.