You wouldnt know by looking at it, but this Tesla Model S P80D can drive itself A lawsuit recently filed by the owner of a Tesla Model S alleges the California EV manufacturer is artificially limiting the capacity of older Tesla models so it would avoid having to replace defective batteries, Reuters reports.Under the guise of safety and increasing the longevity of the batteries of the Class Vehicles, Tesla fraudulently manipulated its software with the intent to avoid its duties and legal obligations to customers to fix, repair, or replace the batteries of the Class Vehicles, all of which Tesla knew were defective, yet failed to inform its customers of the defects, the lawsuit alleges.It goes on to say that potentially thousands of owners of older Tesla models have had their battery driving ranges lowered by as many as 64 kilometres following a recent over-the-air software update. Plaintiff David Rasmussens 2014 Model S 85 says his battery capacity fell by about 8 kWh, but that he was told by Tesla the degradation was normal. Other owners have said their cars no longer charge to 100 per cent.The automakers defense notes the software update was made after a Model S caught fire in Hong Kong; the incident prompted Tesla to revise its charging and thermal management settings to help further protect the battery and improve battery longevity. The lawsuit counters that Tesla chose to go behind the backs of its customers and use software updates and throttling of the battery to avoid liability in the wake of these vehicle fires involving the overcharging of lithium batteries.Owners have also alleged the reduction in battery capacity has lowered the value of their
Origin: Lawsuit claims older Tesla’s battery capacities are being artificially lowered