Tesla being sued by California counties

Tesla is being sued by 25 California counties claiming the electric car maker has been improperly labelling hazardous waste and illegally dumping it in landfills.

The claim was filed this week in California state court by counties in Los Angeles, Alameda, San Joaquin, San Francisco and elsewhere.

The consortium said waste products being handled at the facilities include spent electric batteries, paint, diesel fuel and antifreeze at as many as 101 Tesla locations.

Hazardous waste management laws in California carry potential civil penalties of up to $US70,000 ($AU106,500) per violation per day.

Tesla has not yet responded to the claims.

In 2019, Tesla agreed to take steps to properly manage waste at its Fremont, California plant after it was fined $US31,000 ($AU47,100) by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over violations.

The EPA fined the electric car maker a further $US275,000 ($AU418,400) in 2022 after ruling Tesla was not keeping sufficient records and failed to implement plans to minimise air pollution – again at its Fremont factory.

Of the 13 current and planned US Tesla production facilities, four are located in California.

Tesla describes its Fremont factory as one of the largest across all industries in the US state.

Situated in Alameda County, it’s the oldest of the currently operating Tesla factories and has produced the Model S, Model 3, Model Y and Model X.

Nearby to the Fremont plant is the Kato Road Tesla parts plant and materials laboratory, which includes battery production and was expanded with an additional factory in 2023.

Tesla also has a ‘Megafactory’ in Lathrop in San Joaquin County producing battery packs and ‘Megapacks’ for energy storage systems.

Outside of the US, the company has factories in China, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Canada and is looking at either Thailand, India, or Indonesia as a potential South East Asia location.

Tesla was issued a $155,000 fine in Australia in 2022 after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued the car maker 10 infringements for not labelling batteries in accordance with mandated safety standards.