May 14 (Reuters) - Tesla has been sued by an

environmental nonprofit that accused Elon Musk's electric car

company of violating the federal Clean Air Act hundreds of times

by letting its Fremont, California, plant emit harmful

pollutants.

In a complaint filed on Monday, the Environmental Democracy

Project said Tesla has since January 2021 exposed nearby

residents and workers to excessive nitrogen oxides, arsenic,

cadmium and other harmful chemicals, mainly through its paint

shop operations.

The nonprofit wants an injunction to halt excess pollution,

plus civil fines of up to $121,275 per day per violation of the

Clean Air Act.

Tesla did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for

comment.

The lawsuit filed federal court in San Francisco adds to

pressure on Tesla to improve air quality surrounding the Fremont

plant, its main U.S. factory.

On May 2, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said

it wanted an independent hearing board to order Tesla to reduce

harmful emissions from its paint shop operations.

It said that Tesla's emissions abatement system breaks down

"repeatedly," and the automaker has since 2019 racked up 112

notices of violation, each accounting for as much as 750 pounds

of illegal air pollution.

In February, Tesla agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a

lawsuit by 25 California counties that claimed it mishandled

hazardous waste at locations across the state.

The Environmental Democracy Project said it has authority to

file a "citizen" lawsuit under the Clean Air Act because Tesla

"has violated or in violation of conditions imposed by an

operating permit for major sources of pollution."

Lawyers for the nonprofit did not immediately respond to

requests for additional comment.

The case is Environmental Democracy Project v Tesla Inc ( TSLA ) et

al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

24-02888.