Has justice finally been served?
This all dates back to 2019 when reports emerged that Tesla owners were experiencing serious driving range drops following a software update. Only the Tesla Model S and Model X were affected, and just those equipped with 85-kWh battery packs. That specific trim was discontinued in 2016 but Tesla still continued with over-the-air updates which makes complete sense. What allegedly happened as a result of one of those updates was a loss of 12 to 30 miles of range.
Affected owners weren t limited to a single country but a group of them banded together to take the matter to court. Electrek reports a Norwegian court has ordered Tesla to pay $16,000 to every affected owner in the country.
It s just not good for the environment.
Few companies are as innovative as Tesla, and because the electric vehicle manufacturer is so far ahead of its competition in so many ways, the company continues to reach new heights. And while the brand has made billions of dollars in the past few years, it is always looking for new ways to make its cars more accessible and more advanced. With that in mind, Tesla recently promised that customers would be able to buy one of its products using Bitcoin. It didn t take long for that promise to come true, but now Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that this payment method has been suspended on the Model S and all other products. The reason? Sustainability.
Defective touchscreens remain a core problem.
A technical issue that dates back to 2012 continues to haunt Tesla and now the US government is getting involved. Last November, the California-based automaker acknowledged there are serious technical issues involving the Media Control Unit (MCU) touchscreen on the 2012 to 2015 Tesla Model S and Model X. In, short a number of touchscreens began to fail, rendering vehicles almost completely useless. Without working screens, drivers cannot control a variety of basic functions.
Complicating matters further for owners was that Tesla claimed the issue wasn t covered under warranty. Because of the increasing blowback, Tesla changed course and issued extended warranties for the older MCU unit but refused to issue a recall. US safety regulators believe it should.