Tesla has reportedly been sued again, this time for secretly limiting the charging speed of its Supercharger for early Model S cars.
Tesla has been told to pay $14,000 to the affected owners in a retrial in Norway and is preparing to appeal.
In 2019, some Tesla owners saw their cars' range drop by 12 to 30 miles after a software update. Most of the cars affected at the time were the Model S (85kWh) version, which was discontinued in 2016.
"As of May 13, my 2014 Model S 85 had a 247-mile Rated Range, but with the upgrade, it was reduced to 217 miles, an 11 percent reduction in five weeks," one owner told the outlet.
At the time, Tesla responded that the software update was designed to protect the battery and extend battery life, which would be shortened for a small number of users. Some owners are confused and want Tesla to provide details. Tesla eventually released a software patch that fixed the problem for most owners, but many said the Supercharger still slowed down.
So some owners went to court to Sue Tesla. A Norwegian court found that Tesla limited charging speeds and ordered it to pay $16,000 to each of the affected owners.
Tesla did not participate in the initial trial, and the court found that Tesla was wrong without listening to its opinion. The retrial came after Tesla said it was unaware of the proceedings. Tesla argued for no major change in the verdict, except that the damages were reduced.
Tesla acknowledged that it altered the Supercharger's usage by artificially extending the charging time, but customers don't take any charging mode for granted. Tesla also said the software update was designed to extend the life of the car.
Tesla is being sued in the United States over the same issue, not just in Norway. The US case was settled and each owner was awarded $625.
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