Publications
Partners
Oslo, Norway - US automaker Tesla has reached an agreement with car owners in Norway dissatisfied because their electric cars didn't accelerate as quickly as promised, thereby avoiding a trial, a Norwegian court said on Monday (December 12).
The Oslo district court had been due to examine a lawsuit filed by some 130 owners of Tesla S P85D, a sedan with one of the fastest accelerations in the world.
Underpowered EV
The plaintiffs complained the real power of their cars was "only" 350kW and not 520kW as promised by Tesla.
But both sides reached an out-of-court settlement, lawyers for the plaintiffs said. Tesla refused to comment.
READ: Bad news! Tesla to end free use of supercharging stations
Financial daily Dagens Naeringsliv reported that Tesla would pay 65 000 kroner (R126 606, estimate), half the amount the car owners had demanded, or offer other compensation in the form of a voucher, a battery upgrade or new wheels, sometimes accompanied by a sum.
The plaintiffs' lawyers refused to confirm this information.
Norway is the second largest market in the world for Tesla after the United States, due to its generous state-funded measures in favour of electric cars, including tax exemptions and free city tolls and public parking.
Tesla has sold almost 2800 vehicles in the country since the beginning of the year, 24% fewer than in the first eleven months of 2015, a drop largely attributed to the rising competition of hybrid cars.
