Truckloads of Tesla Batteries Keep Getting Stolen Before They Even Leave the Factory

Trailers containing millions of dollars worthy of Tesla car and location batteries person allegedly been stolen consecutive from loading docks astatine the company’s Nevada facilities astatine slightest 11 times since past December, according to sheriff’s records obtained by WIRED.

“It’s an epidemic close now,” says Storey County Sheriff’s Detective Sam Hatley, who has been investigating the Tesla cases.

Three men suspected of carrying retired 1 of the heists were arrested successful January and charged with felony possession of stolen property. But the broader spate of cargo thefts plaguing Elon Musk’s car institution are inactive nether probe and person not been antecedently reported.

Hatley tells WIRED the incidents documented successful the sheriff's records bespeak lone a information of the problem. Investigators are tracking a full of 17 alleged cargo thefts this twelvemonth involving Tesla and different businesses successful Storey County, though Hatley declined to accidental however galore progressive the car shaper specifically. One alleged cognition that targeted Tesla besides struck artillery recycler Redwood Materials. These figures whitethorn inactive beryllium an undercount, Hatley adds, due to the fact that companies are sometimes reluctant to disclose that their products person been stolen.

Transportation manufacture researchers estimated past twelvemonth that shipping thefts successful the US astir doubled from 2022 to 2024 and are present collectively costing companies astir $18 cardinal a day, which could arguably construe to higher prices for shoppers. Electronic components person been a predominant target, according to the theft prevention consultancy Verisk CargoNet.

What peculiarly worries instrumentality enforcement and the cargo manufacture is the emergence of alleged strategical thefts, similar what Tesla allegedly has experienced. These operations don’t impact thieves snatching goods from an unattended trailer astatine a nationalist remainder stop. Organized groups person alternatively recovered ways to exploit gaps successful information protocols astatine the world’s astir invaluable automaker, including utilizing fake IDs and escaped relationships the institution has with the truckers who transport its products.

WIRED learned of the incidents by requesting exigency dispatch records from Storey County, wherever a Tesla artillery mill employs an estimated 12,000 people, making it by acold the area's largest employer. Roughly 2 percent of the county’s exigency incidents past twelvemonth originated from the 5.4 cardinal quadrate feet alleged gigafactory, which Tesla operates successful concern with Panasonic. (A important fig of the calls, though, look to beryllium butt dials to 911.)

A Tesla subordinate manager told investigators that immoderate of the archetypal thefts stemmed from failing to adhere to basal information protocols, according to sheriff’s reports. The car shaper has since tightened its procedures, including opening to verify the individuality of drivers astatine the mill gate, according to sheriff’s records. “It’s decidedly helping,” Hatley says. Thefts are “happening, but not arsenic prolifically.”

Tesla, the subordinate manager named successful the reports, and Redwood Materials did not respond to requests for comment.

Pilfering Powerwalls

The archetypal of the caller cases took spot successful December and progressive 2 trailers each filled with implicit $475,000 worthy of Powerwall 3 residential artillery systems, which were taken from a Tesla spot by a dodgy logistics carrier, according to sheriff’s reports. Authorities recovered the trailers bare astir 500 miles distant successful Southern California.

Tesla's information squad aboriginal recovered immoderate of the Powerwalls for merchantability online and notified authorities. The products can't beryllium activated erstwhile marked arsenic stolen, according to investigators, truthful there's not overmuch to summation from buying them. In different case, an car parts trader successful Northern California told Tesla and instrumentality enforcement that idiosyncratic had offered to merchantability them astatine a discount what they suspected to beryllium stolen car batteries, which investigators aboriginal confirmed had been.

Tesla reported 1 further alleged theft successful December and 9 much successful January. That included a January 19 incidental involving different trailer containing 123 Powerwalls. It was destined for a Tesla installation successful Hayward, California but ne'er made it there. Sheriff’s reports authorities that the semi-truck and the institution whose operator came to prime up the trailer were not licensed for interstate operations. A freight broker had awarded the declaration to transport the trailer to an illegitimate carrier, according to sheriff’s reports.