Tesla settles Model S P85D horsepower lawsuit in Norway

With all of the high-profile legal issues Tesla has been involved in over the years (suing US states, dealing with Top Gear, etc.), you may have forgotten about the case in Norway over just how quick the Model S is. The issue is whether the Model S P85D electric vehicles had the performance that Tesla advertised. The power numbers in question are 691, 467, and 224. The two motors in the P85D have 467 horsepower (in the rear motor) and 224 hp up front. That adds up to 691 hp, but that's not how total horsepower numbers work. Hence the lawsuit.

There was an agreement, but back in September, some of those owners filed suit over the deal. In the latest move, the parties (Tesla and 126 Tesla owners in Norway) have agreed to settle, without disclosing the terms, of course. Local press is reporting that the owners would be able to choose to get either the equivalent of about $7,700 (half of their original request) or to get a number of vehicle upgrades.

Tesla sent a statement to Electrek on the issue:

Testing done by Tesla and independent third parties has demonstrated that the Model S P85D's acceleration and motor power numbers have always been accurate, even understated. With respect to acceleration, Tesla described the P85D as having a 0-100 kph time of 3.3 seconds, and Motor Trend and others actually achieved a time of 3.1 seconds. Similarly, the motor power numbers used by Tesla were legally required and confirmed as accurate by European regulatory authorities. Based on this information, the Consumer Council previously resolved these issues in Tesla's favor. Tesla will be reviewing the decision by the Consumer Disputes Commission to better understand the conclusion that it reached.

In 2004, Tesla had to fix the motors in about 1,000 Model S EVs in Norway.

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