Tesla‘s charging stations have in recent times become easy targets for vandals who place a premium on the charging cables. A report out of the UK shows that EV charging cable theft was rapidly replacing catalytic converter thefts from ICE vehicles. It was recently reported in China that Tesla charging stations are being vandalized and the cables sold for cash. Apparently, a group of criminals in Germany decided to take things a notch higher as they busted a Tesla delivery center in Weiterstadt, making away with the wheels and aero caps in 11 different Tesla models comprising the Model 3 and Model Y that are waiting to be delivered to their owners.
This obviously is a new form of theft as it is the first such incident we are getting despite Tesla having several delivery hubs located in different cities across Europe.
A report by the local police states that the robbery looks to have taken place sometime between 6:00pm on Friday, March 11, and 9:00am on Saturday March 12, obviously taking advantage of the cover of darkness. The criminals succeeded in removing the complete set of wheels on a combination of 11 Model 3 and Model Y EVs, leaving the cars suspended on cinder blocks. It is likely this may have caused some damages to the undercarriage and battery packs of the models.
Apart from making away with the wheels, the vandals also stole the aero caps from another five Teslas. The criminals also deliberately smashed the glass roof on one of the vehicles but it was stated if it is a Model 3 or Model Y.
Investigations are already ongoing and the police are encouraging locals who may have witnessed the crime to come forward. It is unclear if there were security personnel manning the hub as of the time of the robbery. We expect more details to emerge in no distant time.
RELATED:
- Tesla Model 3 & Model Y receive price hike in China for the Rear Wheel Drive variant
- Huawei debuts the HarmonyOS powered AITO M5 EV in China to take on the Tesla Model Y
- A Tesla Model S owner opts to blow up the car when told repairs will cost €20,000 (~$22,668)
- Tesla agrees to stop letting drivers play video games while driving
(source)
