A group of burglars robbed 3 Tesla cars at night last week, causing a chase by Virginia police. Two drivers were arrested, one even lost control of the car.
It is unfortunately common to hear about theft of vehicles, but Tesla theft is still rarer, the on-board technology probably deterring a large part of thieves. In the United States, reports from the Highway Loss Data Institute show that the brand’s vehicles are 90% less likely to be stolen and that the chances of finding them are much higher than for other vehicles.
90% less chance of having a Tesla stolen than another brand
A Tesla is almost as much an automobile as it is a smartphone. Always connected, transmitting its position in real time to Tesla’s servers, it is easily traceable by its owner. It is therefore not surprising to see that no Tesla appears in the ranking of the 30 most stolen cars in France according to Auto Plus and the association 40 million motorists. However, this has not deterred a group of thieves to leak into the night yesterday in a Tesla dealership in Virginia in the United States to steal Model S.
Of course, the police were quickly alerted and embarked on a chase against the thieves. The first lost control of his Model S and was apprehended. The others, cornered by the police, finally abandoned their vehicles and tried to flee on foot. One of them was arrested. He was a minor. This story, which could have ended tragically, allows us to come back to the measures that can be put in place to prevent the theft of Tesla car.
A PIN code to double the security
If the first Tesla, like some Toyota and Kia, were subject to a security breach which made it possible to copy their key very easily, current models are no longer so. It is always possible, however, to undergo a relay attack, that is to say the use of an amplifier by thieves in order to make the car think that the key is near the vehicle when this is actually not the case. This can allow the flight in just 30 seconds.
To avoid this kind of mishap, Tesla, in addition to increasing the encryption of its keys, has implemented a PIN code solution to double security. To activate it, go to Controls> Security> Security> PIN code for driving. After choosing a 4-digit code, it will be requested each time the vehicle is started, except in valet or Smart Summon mode, which places the vehicle by itself in front of its owner. This complements systems such as Sentinel surveillance mode and position tracking by the application. To prevent its vehicles from being stolen, Tesla even offers a million dollars to any hacker who would succeed in starting the vehicle without a key.
