Antitrust probes Stellantis, Tesla, VW, BYD over EVs

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 21 - The Italian Antitrust Authority said on Friday that it has opened four probes into BYD Industria Italia s.r. l., Stellantis Europe S.p.A., Tesla Italy s.r.l. and Volkswagen Group Italia S.p.A. over possible unfair commercial practices.
    The investigations concern information provided to consumers regarding the driving range of electrical vehicles, battery capacity degradation and operational limits on standard battery warranties, which could have breached the Consumer Code, the agency said in a statement.
    "In particular, the companies' websites appear to have displayed generic - and at times contradictory - information regarding the driving range of their marketed electric vehicles, without clarifying which factors impact the advertised maximum range and the extent to which they affect the actual range", the authority said in a statement.
    "Moreover, it seems that the companies' websites failed to provide consumers with clear and complete information on battery capacity degradation resulting from normal vehicle use, and on the terms/limitations applied to the standard battery warranty", it added.
    The Antitrust also explained that it carried out inspections on Thursday at the Italian headquarters of the four automakers, aided by the finance police's special antitrust unit.
    The current legislation provides for fines of up to 10 million euros for companies breaching consumer rights rules.
    Stellantis Europe said in a note that it was fully cooperating with the authority's personnel and had provided the necessary answers, information and documentation regarding the investigation.
    It added that it was convinced that it had provided "adequate, precise and exhaustive answers" to officials in Turin and that it will continue to cooperate in the investigation.
    "Stellantis places the needs and satisfaction of its customers at the centre of all its activities and believes that the ongoing investigation will be able to confirm this circumstance".
    Meanwhile consumer groups praised the probes and said they were ready to take legal action.
    "Information given to consumers on electric cars, charging, the autonomy of batteries and the driving range too often are not very transparent if not misleading", said consumer group Codacons.
    The organization went on to say that the lack of transparency regarded key aspects of a vehicle that could alter consumers' choices "creating a clear economic damage".
    It added that, "for this reason, we consider the Antitrust's probes fundamental and, if illicit actions and irregularities will be ascertained, we are ready to take action to demand compensation for the owners of the vehicles involved, who were induced to buy electric cars based on false information".
    Another consumer group, Udicon, said misleading information on electric vehicles could "damage the entire sector". "We can't accept that citizens discover only after having purchased it that their electric vehicle does not respond to the publicized expectations", it continued, asking the authority to shed "full light on potential unfair practices and to producers to pledge to guarantee the utmost transparency". (ANSA).