Norway Court Orders Tesla To Pay Owners Over $16,200 Each In Suit Over Battery Capacity

According to reports, a court in Norway has found Tesla guilty and has issued fines to the automaker because of allegations of a 2019 software update that has caused battery life and slower charging. 

In December 2020, more than 30 Norwegian customers who were affected by the update's adverse effects lodged a lawsuit with the conciliation board against Tesla. In the pre-update and post-update inspections, there is evidence of a longer charging period for vehicles after upgrading. It is noted that the poor performance affected Tesla Model S vehicles manufactured between 2013 and 2015. 

Most Tesla owners who were impacted experienced a range reduction after installing Tesla's 2019.16.1 and 2019.16.2 software updates. This led to a major reduction in single-charge range, which now ranges from 12 to 30 miles (19 to 48 km). The charging speeds at DC fast chargers were also affected by the update, resulting in Tesla owners recording significantly slower charging times than before the update.

Tesla sold around 10,000 units of the Model S during that time frame in Norway, so the company might face an overall payout of $163 million (RM675 million) if all these customers decide to sue them. 

The Norway court, which handed down the verdict on April 29, has ordered Tesla to pay $16,294 (RM67,497) by May 31 or appeal the case by June 17 to the Oslo Conciliation Board. Since then, Tesla Norway has not filed a response, and an absence judgement decided the case. 

Based on the claims made by Tesla, they did the update to protect the battery and improve its longevity. They also claimed that the update has also resulted in a range loss for only a few owners. 

This is not the first time that Tesla has faced complaints of charging speeds in court. As a recap, a Tesla owner has sued the automaker in the Northern California federal court back in 2019. Tesla was alleged of fraud and decreased battery range following a software update, similar to what is happening now. 

According to the Norwegian Road Federation, Norway leads Europe in the number of electric vehicles on the road, with battery electric vehicles responsible for 54 percent of all new vehicle sales in 2020. The Audi e-tron, followed by the Model 3, were the most notable vehicles sold.