Tesla Model S makes it home after dramatic transatlantic theft and rescue

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When Soby of Evoto Rentals handed the key fob of one of the firm ’s Tesla Model S to a customer that booked and paid for the electric car in advance, the businessman did not understand it would mark the start of a long, arduous pursuit that would take the vehicle from the transport yards of Montreal, Canada, to the beaches of Italy. With its web of intrigue, near-misses, and a rescue, the narrative of Evoto Rentals’ stolen Model S could well be one of the most compelling Tesla tales that has emerged to date.

A Booking Gone Wrong

It all started with a apparently innocent booking. The customer appeared to be a customer that merely wished to rent a Model S for a week. Everything seemed fine when the car was being reserved. The deposit went through, and the entire rental fee was paid via a credit card. The consumer drove off, and the car rental company thought it was business as usual.

Things started to get strange. Tracking the Model S through GPS, the businessman was a bit surprised to see the client parking the premium electric car in a container packaging company situated on the outskirts of Montreal. The car stayed in exactly the exact same location for 48 hours, and then the triangle representing the automobile turned gray. With red flags all over the situation, the businessman tried emailing and calling the customer, before realizing that the email address supplied was a throwaway and the mobile number was from a burner telephone.

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The Escape

The businessman reported the incident but the authorities explained that the circumstances were a civil matter since Evoto had rented the vehicle. The authorities also commented that car thefts were low on their priority, so it may take a few weeks before the incident could be looked into by a judge. Evoto Rentals would also be asked to show evidence that it tried to speak to the customer after the rental period was finished, such as letters delivered to the client by registered mail ’s address.

The company opted to ring up the business lawyer and Tesla, both of whom advised against waiting as the automobile could be sent overseas. The car rental company hired a private investigator to scout the last known location of the vehicle, who was able to get some information about the nature of the freight packing firm’s activities. Thanks to some help from Evoto’s lawyer, a search warrant from the authorities was secured, and the packing company’s website was searched.

The packing company claimed innocence, asserting that they thought the Tesla Model S was another second-hand vehicle that was being sent overseas. The business even supplied camera footage to demonstrate the person who drove the car to the location. The contact info to the delivery company that was tasked to take the vehicles abroad was given as well. The businessman ’ s heart sank, although the delivery company was immediately called. The container that had Evoto’s Model S had just sailed towards the Middle East, and the automobile was in international waters.

The Rescue

With the pursuit of the Model S extending far beyond Montreal, the EV rental firm coordinated with the authorities to get INTERPOL involved. The ship was expected to have a layover in Italy, which presented a chance to retrieve the Tesla. This required some more paperwork to get the right authorities involved, as Evoto needed to ask local authorities to make a petition to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), who in turn produced a petition to INTERPOL, who, in turn, notified the Italian authorities to seize the ship when it arrived in the country. In a stroke of fortune for Evoto, INTERPOL and the Italian authorities worked fast, within a week, getting everything ready.

The operation was a success, and the container carrying the stolen Model S was retrieved. The thieves cleverly announced that the container was full of scrap metal so as to not arouse suspicion, as it turned out. Scrap metal was found by them inside, when the container opened. But also was Evoto Rentals’ Tesla Model S, caked in dust, but miraculously undamaged from its harrowing ordeal.

Coming home

After paperwork in the car rental firm, the Tesla Model S was finally shipped to Canada. Not including legal fees, Evoto ended up spending about US$21,000 to get their car back from Italy. Fortunately, insurance covered the majority of the costs. The stolen Model S made it home lately, where it was welcomed with the Evoto Rentals team.

After a tenant used paperwork to rent ship our model S to Europe, it is finally back fully intact barring a dust. pic.twitter.com/y8Q3MEaAIa

— Evoto Rentals (@EvotoRentals) March 30, 2019

While the theft of the automobile was an ordeal, the businessman was grateful for the help that Evoto received which made it possible to retrieve the stolen electric car. The EV rental firm also gave particular thanks to Tesla for the electric car maker’s help, in addition to the Model S’ technology that made it easy to trace the vehicle’s location even after it left Montreal. The businessman learned a lesson as Evoto Rentals now conducts background checks for its customers before handing over a vehicle. A GPS monitoring system has been installed on the company’s fleet of Model S, Model X, and Model 3.

Teslas are among the vehicles to steal. Fank Scafidi, manager of public affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which crunched data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center, noted that 112 out of 115 stolen Teslas have been recovered from 2011 to May of 2018. “That’s about as good as it gets. I’m wondering if rsquo; intellect & the thieves could have been overrun sitting at a Tesla, much less figuring out how to operate it for any period of time,” he said. Aside from their technician, Teslas also have a suite of security features, including those that are introduced via a software update, such as Sentry Mode.

The article Tesla Model S makes it home after striking transatlantic theft and rescue appeared initially on TESLARATI.

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