France says Tesla lied about FSD and more, 4 months to comply or be fined
The French Ministry of the Economy has found that Tesla violated the law in several ways related to “deceptive business practices,” and has ordered the company to comply in 4 months or face a fine for every day it does not.
The investigation started in 2023, in response to several reports through France’s consumer complaint service SignalConso.
It concluded today, and French authorities from the DGCCRF (Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention) division of the Ministry of the Economy found several examples of ways that Tesla had misled customers or otherwise failed to comply with French consumer protection laws.
A summary of the ruling in French is available here, and here are the bullet points via browser translation:
- Sales contracts without date or deadline or place of delivery of the vehicle and not mentioning payment on credit;
- Payments required before the end of the withdrawal period enjoyed by the consumer when he finances his purchase with an assigned credit;
- Absence of receipt valid in the event of partial cash payment;
- Misleading business practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capacity of TESLA vehicles, the availability of certain options and vehicle trade-in offers;
- Failure to refund within the deadlines of orders for which consumers have exercised their right of withdrawal;
- Lack of prior information on delivery methods and in particular its place;
France has given Tesla 4 months to comply with its order. If it doesn’t, France will fine the company 50,000 euros ($58k USD) per day.
Most of these bullet points deal with the ordering and delivery process, and it seems that French authorities took issue with the haphazard nature in which Tesla vehicle deliveries can often happen. They took issue with Tesla’s incomplete sales contracts, sudden and/or repeatedly changing delivery times or locations (and the value of trade-in offers), and failure to refund deposits in a timely manner.
But the meatiest bullet point there is the one about “misleading business practices,” especially given this weekend’s news of Tesla’s Robotaxi launch in Austin.
France finds that Tesla lied about FSD
French authorities found that Tesla had misled customers “regarding the fully autonomous driving capacity of TESLA vehicles.”
Since 2015, Tesla has sold some sort of partial automation to the public. This started in the form of Autopilot, which was released in the US in late 2015 and focused on highway driving only (though it came later to France than the US). More recently, Tesla’s focus has been on Full Self-Driving, or FSD, which is more capable than Autopilot and works on surface streets as well as highways.
Tesla has sold FSD software for various prices over the years, as high as $15,000. It currently sells “Capacité de conduite entirément autonome” in France for 7,500 Euros.
The problem is: this software does not, in fact, drive you entirely autonomously. It is, at the moment, a “level 2” driver assist function, which still requires a driver in the driver’s seat to take full responsibility for the vehicle. Higher levels, 3 and above, could be considered “self-driving,” where the car takes responsibility at certain times, and above level 4, there’s no requirement for a driver to even be in the driver’s seat.
Another wrinkle is that even the driver-assist version of FSD is currently not active in France. There has been a long process to bring FSD to Europe (here’s a recent report about how Tesla used a Dutch loophole to approve Autopilot in the first place), but it’s still not complete.
So, everyone who has bought the system in France has not yet been able to use it. Even if they could use the version that the US has, it would still not qualify as fully self driving.
In addition to this, Tesla has made several statements over the years suggesting FSD’s capabilities will be greater than they currently are. For example, in 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said “if you buy a Tesla today, I believe you are buying an appreciating asset – not a depreciating asset.” He said this on the premise that FSD software would be so valuable that the price of cars that had it would skyrocket. In fact, he said it wouldn’t even be worth it for Tesla to sell cars anymore, because they’d be more valuable to use to make money as autonomous taxis.
Musk even promised that you, the customer, would be able to send out your car as an autonomous taxi to make you money, something that Tesla is now doing, but still not allowing customers to do. He has continued making the same promise, as recently as a few hours before this weekend’s Robotaxi launch.
Elsewhere in France, Tesla is also facing a lawsuit by a group of French Tesla owners who want to get out of their leases early due to Musk’s recent unwise political activity turning their vehicles into “far-right totems.”
Electrek’s Take
The complaints should not be particularly surprising to those who have followed Tesla for some time.
Mostly, they reflect the haphazard nature of Tesla’s vehicle ordering and delivery process which we have come to… love? hate? let’s go with “understand” over the years.
While Tesla does eschew dealerships and has made the vehicle ordering process much simpler in many ways, it’s also true that if there’s ever any reason for deviation from the plan, it’s pretty easy for customers to fall through the cracks and have little recourse. So, the reports of incomplete paperwork, rapidly-changing delivery times and so on should sound familiar to those of us who’ve been around for a while.
Same goes for failure to refund – Tesla has long tied a “reservation fee” to new vehicle announcements, which is often said to be fully refundable at any time. Some customers have had difficulty getting those refunds in a timely manner or at all.
The most interesting part about this order is how sweeping it is. Rather than finding fault in a single practice, it dings Tesla for a litany of issues that have been issues for a long time. Unlike the feckless enforcement that we often see in the US, France seems serious.
The fine is also substantial, but for one of the largest companies in the world (by market cap, anyway), it does seem absorbable. While ~$5 million per quarter is a fair chunk of change, it’s nothing compared to Tesla’s Q1 revenue of $19.3 billion or profit of $409 million.
But, given drastically falling sales in France, maybe it’s enough compared to the profits Tesla gets out of that territory. At a current sales rate of a few thousand cars per quarter, and given Tesla’s current ~2% profit margin and assuming an average selling price of somewhere around ~$60k, a fine of $5 million per quarter would basically eliminate any profits for the company from France.
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Environment
Rivian (RIVN) to open a UK office that will focus on AI and autonomous driving technology
American EV automaker Rivian is expanding across the pond into the UK, hoping to tap into the region’s talent pool in artificial intelligence engineering.
Rivian is a growing American EV brand with expanding office footprints as much as its lineup of unique electric trucks and SUVs. The company is currently headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with its main production facility located in Normal, Illinois alongside plans for a second production footprint about 40 minutes outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
Other US locations currently include offices in Irvine and Carson, CA, Wittmann, AZ, and Plymouth, MI. Outside of the US, Rivian operates out of offices in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Belgrade, Serbia.
This morning, Rivian announced its latest international office in London, UK, which will become an AI-centric development hub.
Rivian to open AI Hub in the UK
According to a release from Rivian early this morning, it sees the UK as rapidly becoming a world leader in artificial intelligence engineering, and is looking to tap into that talent pool with the new international office.
While Rivian’s current Autonomy Platform enables drivers to utilize hands-free, eyes-on highway driving, the American automaker intends to continue to evolve such tech to offer greater levels of autonomous capabilities.
Rivian shared that its second-generation EVs were designed with an “AI-centric approach.” As its Gen2 vehicle fleet continues to develop and grow, the automaker has been collecting more and more data to help accelerate the improvements to ADAS technology. Per the company:
Rivian believes the combined strength of its perception platform and in-vehicle data infrastructure will enable it to build a Large Driving Model, unlocking unparalleled understanding of complex driving scenarios and accelerating the path to safer, more capable autonomous features.
Rivian said the future work done at its new UK AI hub will enable its EVs to improve in the future via over-the-air (OTA) updates. Details remain light, but Rivian shared plans to host an “AI and Autonomy Day” later this year and promised to share more about its product and technology roadmap.
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Waev, the company best known for its iconic GEM electric low-speed vehicles (LSVs), just unveiled a brand new lineup of commercial electric carts and LSVs. And this time, they’re not messing around when it comes to utility. Dubbed the Fusion line, these new lithium-ion-powered vehicles include mashups plucked from the worlds of golf carts, street-legal shuttles, and jobsite pickup trucks.
The Fusion lineup includes six different models: three designed for people-moving and three built for utility work. But all six still seem to be aimed squarely at commercial, municipal, and industrial fleets.
Whether that’s running security at a stadium, shuttling guests at a resort, or hauling equipment around a worksite, there looks to be something in the Fusion family that probably fits the bill.
On the people-moving side, Waev is offering 4, 6, and 8-passenger models, all of which feature a flip-up rear seat that converts into a cargo deck, a near ubiquitous feature among modern golf carts and LSVs with rear-facing benches that helps them pull double duty as a light utility vehicle. The feature gives them added flexibility for things like maintenance staff, hospitality transport, or even large campus tours, letting them carry a large number of passengers, yet still be capable of stacking boxes or equipment in the rear.
The utility versions look a bit different with more muted matte black bodywork, plus come with electrically-actuated hydraulic dump beds, 2-inch ball hitches, and even orange seat belts for jobsite visibility. It’s harder to forget to put on the seatbelt when it’s blindingly orange.
And yes, the Fusion Utility Long Bed basically looks like a pickup truck built on a golf cart chassis, which I find equal parts strange and endearing. But then again, I’m the guy who infamously kicked off the great American mini-truck trend a few years ago when my hilarious little tiny-truck went viral, so maybe I’m a bit biased when it comes to fun little utility vehicles.
All Fusion models are available in both “cart” and “LSV” configurations. The carts are speed-limited to 19 mph (30.5 km/h) and come with serial numbers, making them street-legal only in limited areas that have passed local ordinances permitting golf carts to use public roads.
The LSV versions get full VINs, meet federal low-speed vehicle safety standards (meaning over a dozen regulations on manufacturing standards and safety equipment), and can be driven up to 25 mph (40 km/h) on public roads where LSVs are permitted by state law.
Waev is sticking with lithium-ion power here, specifically a 105Ah Marxon pack that’s both heated and insulated for cold-weather use. That’s a big step up from the old-school lead-acid setups still found in some fleet carts (and, if we’re being honest, still offered on some of Waev’s other vehicles).
The company claims to offer automotive-grade manufacturing processes and reliability on its vehicles, along with Bluetooth diagnostics and a smartphone app for managing the fleet.
Other upgrades include LED lighting, back-up cameras, AVAS pedestrian alert systems, and standard three-point seat belts for all passengers. Optional extras like ladder racks, beacon lights, and upgraded tires make it even easier to tailor each unit to the specific job at hand.
The Fusion line slots into Waev’s already broad family of low-speed EVs and fleet vehicles, including the steel-bodied Taylor-Dunn utility vehicles, Tiger heavy-duty tow tractors for airports and warehouses, and the classic GEM lineup that’s been a staple of street-legal fleet transport since the late ‘90s.
It also looks like Waev isn’t just trying to sell the hardware here – it’s pushing hard on full-service fleet support, too. The company is leaning on an extensive dealer network across the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Australia, and all Fusion models are available through Sourcewell and Canoe procurement programs for simplified public-sector purchasing.
One big thing we’re not seeing, though, are the prices. It’s more of a “contact us for a quote” situation, which means exactly what you think it means. We’ll try to learn more, but don’t expect to make it out of the lot without a measurably lighter wallet.
Electrek’s Take:
This is the kind of product line that probably won’t turn heads in your local grocery store parking lot, but it’s exactly the kind of quiet EV revolution that’s transforming fleets behind the scenes. Lithium-ion golf carts and LSVs that can tow, haul, and shuttle without the noise or emissions of gas engines? That’s a win for everyone –from municipal fleets to private campuses.
And frankly, I’m here for the golf cart pickup truck vibe. Street legal, work-ready, and just weird enough to be cool. The fact that the tailgate seems to swing all the way down and doesn’t lie flat like a normal pickup truck’s gate was a swing-and-a-miss by the designers – I don’t know how that got through – but everything else looks great! And hey, I guess I could always add a pair of tailgate cables if I wanted.
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Tesla’s retro-futuristic diner with Superchargers and giant movie screens is ready to open, and I have to admit, it looks pretty sick.
This project has been in the works for a long time.
In 2018, Elon Musk said that Tesla planned to open an “old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in Los Angeles.” It was yet another “Is he joking?” kind of Elon Musk idea, but he wasn’t kidding.
A few months later, Tesla applied for building permits for “a restaurant and Supercharger station” at a location in Santa Monica. However, the project stalled for a long time, apparently due to local regulations.
Nevertheless, Tesla still moved forward with a Supercharger at the location, but it had to move the diner project to Hollywood. In 2022, Tesla filed the construction plans with the city, giving us the first look at what the automaker intends to build.
In 2023, the automaker broke ground on the site of the diner.
7 years after being originally announced, the project appears now ready to open:
Musk said that he ate at the diner last night and claimed that it is “one of the coolest spots in LA.” He didn’t say when it will open, but Tesla vehicles have been spotted at Supercharger and people appear to be testing the dinning experience inside.
A Tesla Optimus Robot can be seen inside the diner on a test rack. It looks like Tesla might use one for some tasks inside the diner.
Earlier this year, Tesla integrated the diner into its mobile app – hinting at some interaction through the app – possibly ordering from it.
Electrek’s Take
I think it looks pretty cool. I am a fan of the design and concept.
However, considering the state of the Tesla community, I don’t think I’d like the vibes. That said, it looks like Tesla isn’t prominently pushing its branding on the diner.
You can come and charge there, but it looks like Tesla is also aiming to get a wider clientele just for dining.
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