On Tuesday, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced a settled with Tesla about Clean Air Act violations related to paint at its Fremont, California, plant.
The total cost of the fines for the nearly three-year violations was $275,000, or the retail price of about four base Model Ys.
Tesla delivered about 936,000 vehicles globally by 2021. And in California, where so far all cars destined for the U.S. market are made, Tesla surpass 10% market share—Looking forward to all cars and light trucks — in the fourth quarter of the year. Tesla’s market value has crossed the $1 trillion mark at times in recent months, and the company reported $2.3 billion in net income for the fourth quarter of 2021.
2022 Tesla Model 3
The lack of oversight could affect thousands of people, according to the EPA.
“People living in communities near sources of hazardous air pollution may face significant risks to their health and the environment,” the EPA said, pointing to Tesla’s use of coating materials containing formaldehyde, ethylbenzene, naphthalene, and xylene at this facility.
The EPA alleges that Tesla groped some methods that might be thought of as fundamental to its sustainability calculations. Tesla is required to perform monthly emissions calculations for coating operations and keep records of its emissions rates, as well as develop a “work practice plan”—all items that the EPA suggestions were missing in some information requests.
“Today’s case is another example of the Watchdog’s compliance with this facility over the years,” the EPA said, noting that Tesla has since corrected the violations.
Tesla Motors production line for Tesla Model S, Fremont, California
Solvent emissions from paint shops, in addition to being a local environmental pollutant, can also contribute to global warming. Volkswagen, for example, says it achieve a 25% reduction in CO2 . emissions at its manufacturing plants through controlling these emissions.
Tesla has not released any comprehensive figures regarding the carbon emissions of its vehicles, although in its latest Impact Report, from 2020, it did note the efficiency of the vehicle. factories’ energy efficiency and supply chain localization, and says that their upcoming plants “will set a new standard for low energy and water use per vehicle.”
