Tesla Inc. will pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed earlier this week by 25 California counties accusing the electric car maker of mishandling hazardous waste.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the settlement late Thursday.
“While electric vehicles may benefit the environment, the manufacture and maintenance of these vehicles still generate many harmful wastes,” Jenkins said in a statement. “Today’s settlement against Tesla, Inc. works to provide a cleaner environment for citizens across the state by preventing the pollution of our precious natural resources when hazardous waste is mismanaged and illegally disposed of.”
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday accused Tesla, Inc.
Improperly handling, transporting and disposing of hazardous materials including oil, lead acid batteries, antifreeze and diesel fuel at up to 101 sites across the state.
As part of the settlement, Tesla was ordered to pay $1.3 million in civil penalties, and $200,000 to reimburse the cost of the investigation that began in 2018. Tesla must also comply with a five-year injunction to properly dispose of hazardous materials.
Last month, Tesla reported profits of $7.9 billion in the fourth quarter.
Tesla, which disbanded its media relations team in 2020, did not respond to a request for comment.
Tesla shares are down about 24% year to date, compared with the S&P 500 SPX's gain of 3%..
