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Tesla’s Model S and Model X are nearly 90% less likely to be stolen in the United States
Tesla’s electric cars seem to be building a reputation as vehicles that thieves actively avoid. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, which recently published its list of vehicles that are most likely to get stolen in the United States, the Tesla Model S and Model X are almost 90% less likely to get stolen than the average car.
Highway Loss Data Institute vice president Matt Moore stated that vehicle theft is a matter of opportunity and market value. This is among the reasons why this year, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, which has a price of around $64,000, topped the list of most-stolen vehicles in the market. Being premium electric cars, the Tesla Model S and Model X certainly meet the criteria of price, but the way they are used by their owners make them pretty tough to steal.
Moore notes that when electric vehicles are not in use, they are usually parked in a garage, or at least close to their owners’ homes, so that they can be plugged in overnight. This practice is common among electric car owners, and it allows each car to leave every day with a “full tank” of power. “Vehicle theft is a crime of opportunity, and electric cars parked in locked garages where they are recharging certainly makes it harder for a thief,” he explained.
Tesla’s electric cars are also equipped with a suite of security features that are actively designed to prevent thefts. Among these are PIN to Drive, which requires a four-digit verification code that must be entered before a vehicle could be driven; Sentry Mode, which monitors a vehicle’s surroundings and engages a series of visual and audible alarms once a break-in is attempted; and Intrusion Sensors, an optional accessory that intermittently pulses ultrasonic waves throughout the cabin and triggers an alarm if the signal is disturbed.
Apart from these security features, data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center have shown that Teslas that actually do get stolen are usually recovered. Between 2011 and May 2018, the National Crime Information Center tracked 115 Tesla thefts, and among this number, an impressive 112 were recovered. An example of this could be seen in a remarkable story involving an attempted theft of a Model S that ended up being involved in a dramatic transatlantic theft and rescue. During the entire duration of the vehicle’s journey all the way to its retrieval, the Model S’ owner was able to monitor the car’s exact location through GPS.
The HLDI notes that ultimately, how often a car or truck is stolen will impact how much owners of the vehicle will pay for auto insurance. Thus, vehicles like the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, for example, will likely carry a higher insurance premium, particularly when they are being driven in areas where the rate of auto thefts are high. This should bode well for owners of Tesla’s electric cars, as some insurance providers still quote high premiums for the company’s vehicles.
Teslas and muscle cars aside, car thefts across the United States have been at a decline in recent years, with the National Insurance Crime Bureau reporting 773,139 vehicles being stolen in 2017, down 53% from 1991, when car thefts across the country peaked at 1.66 million vehicles.
News
Tesla Sweden’s port deal sparks political clash in Trelleborg
The extension of Tesla’s lease has drawn criticism from the local Social Democratic opposition.
Tesla Sweden’s lease agreement at the Port of Trelleborg has triggered a political dispute, with local leaders divided over whether the municipally owned port should continue renting space to the electric vehicle maker amidst its ongoing conflict with the IF Metall union.
Tesla Sweden’s recently extended contract with the Port of Trelleborg has triggered calls for greater political oversight of future agreements.
Tesla has used the Port of Trelleborg to import vehicles into Sweden amid a blockade by the Transport Workers’ Union, as noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA). By routing cars via trucks on passenger ferries, the company has maintained deliveries despite the labor dispute. Vehicles have also been stored and prepared in facilities leased from the municipal port company.
The extension of Tesla’s lease has drawn criticism from the local Social Democratic opposition. Initially, the Port of Trelleborg hinted that it would not enter into new agreements with Tesla, but it eventually opted to renew its existing contract with the EV maker anyway.
Lennart Höckert, an opposition councilor, described the port’s decision as a “betrayal of the Swedish model,” arguing that a municipally owned entity should not appear to side with one party in an active labor dispute.
“If you want to protect the Swedish model, you shouldn’t get involved in a conflict and help one of the parties. When you as a company do this, it means that you are actually taking a position and making things worse in an already ongoing conflict,” Höckert said.
He added that the party now wants politicians to review and approve future rental agreements involving municipal properties at the port.
The proposal has been sharply criticized by Mathias Andersson of the Sweden Democrats, who chairs the municipal board. In comments to local media, Andersson described the Social Democrats’ approach as “Kim Jong Un-style,” arguing that political leaders should not micromanage a company governed by its own board.
“I believe that the port should be run like any other business,” Andersson said. He also noted that operational decisions fall under the authority of the Port of Trelleborg’s board instead of elected officials.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X sees outage on Monday as users report issues
Monday’s outage follows a similar issue that befell the social media platform in mid-January.
X experienced an outage on Monday morning, with tens of thousands of users reporting that the platform failed to load across both desktop and mobile. The disruption began around 8:02 a.m. ET, as per Downdetector data, and quickly escalated in the U.S. and U.K.
Monday’s outage follows a similar issue that befell the social media platform in mid-January.
Shortly after 8 a.m. ET, Downdetector showed a sharp rise in incident reports. At one point, U.S. complaints exceeded 40,000, while U.K. reports climbed past 6,000. Earlier in the outage, filings had already crossed 11,000 in the U.S. and 3,300 in the U.K., as noted in a TechRadar report. X users in other locations, such as the Philippines and Costa Rica, also reported similar issues.
Users attempting to access X were met with a “something went wrong” message. Feeds did not refresh, posts failed to appear, and both the social media platform’s app and web versions appeared affected by the issue. The outage struck during peak weekday usage, amplifying its visibility across regions worldwide.
X has not issued an official explanation for the latest outage or confirmed what caused the service disruption. The scale of complaints drew comparisons to the platform’s major outage in November 2025, which resulted in users being met with “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages, as well as Cloudflare-related error notices.
The incident also comes just weeks after X experienced a similar downtime in mid-January. That outage seemed more notable, however, with more than 100,000 users reporting issues with the social media platform on Downdetector.
Elon Musk
New details emerge on The Boring Company’s Universal tunnel plans
The materials outline staffing, construction timelines, tunnel configuration, and operational details that were not previously public.
Newly released bidding documents have shed light on how Elon Musk’s Boring Company plans to connect Universal Orlando Resort’s north campus to Universal Epic Universe.
The materials outline staffing, construction timelines, tunnel configuration, and operational details that were not previously public about the planned Loop system.
The Shingle Creek Transit & Utility Community Development District voted Feb. 11 to begin contract negotiations with The Boring Company after ranking it the top bidder for the Universal Orlando transport project. Now, evaluation documents obtained by local news media reveal how the company intends to execute the project, according to Attraction Insight.
The proposal describes a twin-tunnel configuration, with one tunnel in each direction. It also noted that permitting, design, and construction could take roughly a year and a half once approvals are secured. The company indicated it could deploy multiple tunnel boring machines and install temporary support infrastructure, including muck storage pits and stormwater systems, during construction.
Bid documents list eight internal specialists assigned to the project, including tunnel engineers, structural engineers, and tunnel boring machine experts. Six subcontractors would handle fire protection, communications, soil treatment, and concrete work.
The company stated it “has the necessary internally produced tunneling equipment and personnel immediately available to complete this project for the district as quickly as permits and approvals can be obtained.”
Operationally, the system would mirror the company’s Las Vegas Loop model, using Tesla vehicles to provide point-to-point transport rather than fixed-route buses. The proposal frames the concept as “on-demand, express transportation,” with vehicles dispatched as needed and capacity adjustable in real time.
Stations could be built underground or above ground with ramp access into tunnels. The documents also referenced potential future integration of a configurable Robovan for passengers and cargo, though capacity projections for the Orlando tunnels have not yet been disclosed.
The proposal states that the Loop can integrate “easily into environmentally sensitive areas,” but it does not provide detailed mitigation plans for Central Florida’s high water table and limestone geology, which is susceptible to sinkholes. The company has stated that it intends to hire an Orlando-based geotechnical firm to evaluate soil conditions.
Tesla Sweden’s port deal sparks political clash in Trelleborg
Elon Musk’s X sees outage on Monday as users report issues
