A Vancouver man is trying to figure out how he managed to get into someone else’s Tesla recently and drive off, using the app on his own phone.
Rajesh Randev, an immigration consultant, said he thought he was getting into his Tesla on Tuesday as the car was the same make and the same colour.
Randev said he opened the door with his app, got in and even drove off.
It wasn’t until he was driving that he realized something wasn’t quite right.
“Apparently I found some glitch,” Randev said.
When he went to pick up the car, there were two Teslas parked side by side, he explained. He said he was in a hurry as he had to pick up his children from school so he thought he unlocked and jumped into his 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.
So he called his wife to ask why and she did not know. He also noticed his charger was not where he usually had it.
“After, five, 10 minutes I got a text on my phone that said ‘Rajesh are you driving Tesla?'”
He said the person who messaged him told him he was driving the wrong Tesla.
It was only after he parked that Randev noticed the wheels were different from his car. He then called the person who messaged him and they realized he had taken the other person’s Tesla.
However, he was able to get in the car again, drive it again and pick up his children from school and the two met up to set things right.
Randev said he does not know how it happened.
“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.”
Randev said the other Tesla driver told him he was able to get his number because he had printed out a document, which was in his car and it had his phone number on it.
“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.
“My family was shocked.”
The Tesla app is designed to provide access to the person’s Tesla as long as the phone and the vehicle have connectivity. From the app, owners can also lock and unlock the vehicle, manage climate control and find the nearest charging station.
Randev said he reached out to Tesla, with the video evidence, but he had some emails bounce back and no one has contacted him so far.
Global News also reached out to Tesla multiple times but did not hear back.
“The corporate email in North America, it says the mailbox is full,” Randev said.
— with files from Paul Johnson