Man Drove Off With Wrong Tesla Using Car's App

A man in Vancouver, Canada, gained entry into someone else's Tesla Model 3 and drove off with it using the Tesla app on his phone.

Speaking with Global News, Rajesh Randev said he thought he was getting into his own vehicle, which was parked next to a car almost identical to his Tesla Model 3.

"Apparently, I found some glitch," he said.

Randev said he was in a rush to pick up his children from school and thought that he had unlocked and jumped into his own car.

"I was able to get access, a hold of that person's car, but while I start driving it, I realized there was a crack on the windshield," he said.

Confused, Randev said he called his wife to ask if she was aware of the crack, which she wasn't. He then noticed his charger was not in its usual place. Soon after, the car's owner reached out to him.

"After, five, 10 minutes I got a text on my phone that said, 'Rajesh are you driving Tesla?'" Randev said.

The owner, who was able to obtain his contact details from a document in Randev's car, then informed him he was driving the wrong Tesla.

"We were both laughing, and I called the police as well," Randev said. "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."

Randev said he was surprised by how he was able to drive someone else's car by mistake for almost two hours.

As Global News noted, the Tesla app grants access to the owner's Tesla provided that the phone and vehicle have connectivity. Through the app, owners can lock and unlock the vehicle, manage the climate control, and find charging stations.

Randev said he unsuccessfully attempted to reach out to Tesla regarding the matter.

"The corporate email in North America, it says the mailbox is full," he said.

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