Shares Tesla seesawed back into positive territory, and was last up 1.7% in premarket trading, after reports it bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin. The electric vehicle maker also said in its 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it expects to start accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for products "in the near future," subject to applicable laws.
Chinese government officials have met representatives from U.S. electric carmaker Tesla Inc over reports from consumers about battery fires, unexpected acceleration and failures in over-the-air software updates, a regulator said on Monday.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said in a social media post its officials, along with those from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Emergency Management, Cyberspace Administration and Ministry of Transportation, had met Tesla “recently”, without giving a date.
The officials urged Tesla to operate according to China’s laws and protect customer rights, the regulator said.
In response, Tesla said it would thoroughly investigate the problems reported by consumers and step up inspections.
The industry ministry in May urged Tesla to ensure consistency in its China-made vehicles after some Chinese customers complained about less advanced computer chips in their cars.
