--- title: "Tesla Admits the DOJ Is Investigating Its Vehicles’ Driving Range" description: "The US Department of Justice is officially investigating whether Tesla exaggerated the advertised ranges of its vehicles." date: "2023-10-23" modified: "2023-10-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-doj-range" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "electric cars" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Admits the DOJ Is Investigating Its Vehicles’ Driving Range ![The US Department of Justice is officially investigating whether Tesla exaggerated the advertised ranges of its vehicles.]() *\Image: Tesla / Futurism\* ## Range Inflation The US Department of Justice is officially investigating whether Tesla exaggerated the advertised ranges of its vehicles, according to [new documents]() the Elon Musk-led company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the documents, Tesla "received requests for information, including subpoenas from the DOJ, regarding certain matters associated with personal benefits, related parties, vehicle range and personnel decisions" — confirming the [*Wall Street Journal*'s reporting this past summer]() that federal prosecutors were investigating the carmaker for exaggerating the ranges of its vehicles. None of this should be particularly surprising. The company has long been under fire for misleading its customers with inflated or "rosy" range values that often don't reflect reality, with the issue reportedly so serious that Tesla [created a "diversion team]()" to cancel appointments with disappointed customers, according to a [*Reuters* investigation]() last year. ## Glass Half Full Overall, the heat is turning up on Tesla over allegations that its claimed specs are exaggerated. Earlier this year, [*Car and Driver* found]() that Tesla's advertised ranges fell far short of real-world performance. The company has been knocked by regulators across the globe for exaggerating its vehicles' ranges, including [an investigation by the Korea Fair Trade Commission]() last year, which concluded in an albeit measly [$2.2 million fine]() in January. In August, three Tesla owners in California also [filed a class action lawsuit]() aimed at the EV maker over the issue. It's only one of several controversies the company is embroiled in. The carmaker is [already under investigation]() in the US for its Autopilot driver assistance software, which was involved in a number of collisions and a [growing number of deaths](). Nonetheless, it still remains to be seen whether any of these probes will have any real consequences for the teflon Musk. **More on Tesla:** *[Elon Musk Says He Unloaded a Tommy Gun Into a Cybertruck "Al Capone Style"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()