Tesla App allowed Vancouver man to gain access someone else’s vehicle

A recent incident in Vancouver involving the Tesla mobile app let a person drive off in someone else’s Tesla.

As reported by Global News, Rajesh Randev, an immigration consultant, was getting into his Tesla in a hurry on Tuesday, March 7th. All went smoothly, and he got into his vehicle and drove off. Unknown to him, the Tesla he got into wasn’t his, and the vehicle adjacent to the one he drove off in, which was the same make and the same colour, was his car.

Randev opened the door to the wrong Tesla with his phone app, got in, and drove off, not realizing something was wrong until he noticed a crack on the windshield and his charger was not in its usual place. Further, after receiving a text message from the actual owner of the Tesla asking if he was driving their car was when Randev understood that the vehicle he was driving wasn’t his. The two met up to set things right, and the incident ended in a peaceful manner.

Randev said he doesn’t know how it happened, but he suspects it may have been due to a glitch in the Tesla app.

“We were both laughing and I called the police as well,” he added. “The police said they have my statement but they cannot give me a file number because nothing happened but if something does happen to let them know and they will investigate.”

The owner of the Tesla that Randev drove off was able to contact him thanks to a document that had Randev’s number printed on it, and it was visible in his parked Tesla. “I was surprised how I was able to drive someone else’s car, by mistake, for an hour-and-a-half while his car was in his hand,” he added.

Randev has contacted Tesla with the video evidence of the incident, but he is yet to hear back from the company. The incident has raised questions about the security of Tesla’s app, with some speculating that the app may not be as locked down as it’s touted to be.