The misadventure of Rajesh Randev, owner of a white Tesla Model 3, is worthy of a movie: being in a hurry and not attentive enough, he managed to unlock and drive a third party’s Tesla simply using his mobile app .
Imagine that you are late and have to pick up your children from school. You grab your smartphone, rush to the parking lot, and step into a white Tesla Model 3 that you think is yours. However, once inside, you notice that something is wrong: the windshield is broken and the smartphone charging cable is not in the right place.
9 /10
This is exactly what happened in Canada, in a news item communicated by Global News, a local media. The story told by Numerama seems so unrealistic the scenario is incredible.
Everything ended well
After driving for a few minutes, Rajesh Randev received a message from the real owner of the Tesla Model 3, asking if he drives a Tesla. It was then that the father of the family realized the incredible incident that had occurred: in his haste, he had confused the two vehicles. A scenario that we had described in a file entitled: “The 9 real reasons not to buy a Tesla”.
Rajesh Randev was able to retrieve his own Tesla Model 3, thanks to a phone number found inside the vehicle. The ending to the story thankfully went well, but it’s concerning that a Tesla owner was able to open and start another owner’s Model 3 using the smartphone app, and drive the vehicle for an hour and a half. Moreover, despite his attempts to contact Tesla and report the problem, Rajesh Randev has not received a response from the American company.
An unlikely scenario
We considered the possible causes of this scenario. The first could be a flaw in Tesla’s software, which would be a serious security issue. The second hypothesis would be a lack of caution on the part of the owner of the “stolen” Tesla, who may have left his access card inside his car. However, it is not easy to start a Tesla, because there is no traditional key.
The vehicle is unlocked using an access card, or via the Tesla mobile app. In addition, there may be a PIN code confirmation before the car can be started, which adds an extra layer of security. In addition, it is important never to leave the access card or the smartphone inside the vehicle when it is parked. These security measures can help prevent incidents such as the one experienced by Rajesh Randev.
It is also likely that the owner of the stolen Tesla has disabled certain settings, including ” Remote locking “. If keyless driving is allowed, that potentially explains such a scenario. It would be a simple human error.
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