Tesla Turns Off Salvage Title Supercharging

[Kevin Sharpe]

We occasionally see posts about using Tesla Superchargers and I wanted to post some recent developments that may be important going forward. As many will know Tesla are now turning off all rapid charging on 'wrecked' Tesla's and will pursue anyone who re-enables this functionality (see attached quote). I don't think this impacts any of the work on Open Inverter but suggest we all stay away from plugging into Superchargers no matter how tempting that may be.

[Kevin Sharpe]

[Jack Bauer]

At the end of the day it's about them selling new cars.

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

We occasionally see posts about using Tesla Superchargers and I wanted to post some recent developments that may be important going forward. As many will know Tesla are now turning off all rapid charging on 'wrecked' Tesla's and will pursue anyone who re-enables this functionality (see attached quote). I don't think this impacts any of the work on Open Inverter but suggest we all stay away from plugging into Superchargers no matter how tempting that may be.

Screenshot 2020-02-14 at 19.36.38.png

A question, they mentioned both Supercharging and other fast charging. Turning off fast charging at other stations would require an over the air push to individual cars correct?

[Kevin Sharpe]

Turning off fast charging at other stations would require an over the air push to individual cars correct?

That's how you disable the charging physically but a cease and desist letter from Tesla's lawyers is just as effective IMO.

[Kevin Sharpe]

Tesla is stealing features from you, but is it wrong?

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

Turning off fast charging at other stations would require an over the air push to individual cars correct?

That's how you disable the charging physically but a cease and desist letter from Tesla's lawyers is just as effective IMO.

Ture.

However, in my opinion, if you own the car and Tesla does not own the charger, they should not have the ability/right to shut off your ability to use it.

[Boxster EV]

Regarding the third party reactivation clause, this is just scaremongering being used as a deterrent IMO.

In the same way you’ll go to prison if you stream a football match from a dodgy site, or the threat of being hunted down if you illegally use a brands IP in a cottage industry.

It would be very interesting to see how Tesla’s stance/comments stand up in law should someone circumvent their deactivation and continue to use the third party chargers. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

Deactivating Superchargers on salvage cars is a different debate and I suppose that’s their entitlement (Tesla own the chargers).

[Kevin Sharpe]

It would be very interesting to see how Tesla’s stance/comments stand up in law should someone circumvent their deactivation and continue to use the third party chargers. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

Have you read the Tesla software license agreement?

[xp677]

The interesting thing here is that they disable DC charging it by modifying the vehicle that you supposedly already own.

If they disable it within the Supercharger controller, it's another matter.

I see it as a liability/press issue for Tesla. But I believe that once you own something, it's yours to use as you wish. If Tesla want to withdraw their Supercharging service from a particular vehicle as per their terms of use for that service, that's fine, but for third parties? That's different.

[jcwright45]

It would be very interesting to see how Tesla’s stance/comments stand up in law should someone circumvent their deactivation and continue to use the third party chargers. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

Have you read the Tesla software license agreement?

Just trying to get my head around the third party bit. I get that they own the super chargers. But, someone using a 3rd party would not have signed Tesla’s licensing agreement, correct. Or have Tesla somehow connected with all the other third parties who offer this service and put statements into their T&Cs? One would assume when you use a 3rd you are legally kind by those T&Cs?

[57 Chevy]

The third party rapid charging will eventually get challenged and overruled by a court if there is enough demand for it. Any venture that has first-mover advantage will take all practical steps to control as much of the game as possible until something pushes back on it- human nature. They'll get pushed back on eventually.

I recently watched a doco on the founding of Las Vegas and the same scenario played out there in the 1900s but using access to water as the means to control people instead of access to fast charging. Humans don't change much.

[Kevin Sharpe]

Just trying to get my head around the third party bit. I get that they own the super chargers. But, someone using a 3rd party would not have signed Tesla’s licensing agreement, correct. Or have Tesla somehow connected with all the other third parties who offer this service and put statements into their T&Cs? One would assume when you use a 3rd you are legally kind by those T&Cs?

It's nothing to do with the third party charging network vendors... Tesla have decided to disable all rapid charging in the car because they own the software that performs that functionality not the person who purchased the car. Obviously, this has huge implications for the consumer and our right to repair

[Kevin Sharpe]

The third party rapid charging will eventually get challenged and overruled by a court if there is enough demand for it.

The problem is that Tesla's financial muscle will prevent a lot of people from challenging this action.

[57 Chevy]

The problem is that Tesla's financial muscle will prevent a lot of people from challenging this action.

Yup, for the short term yes- this is the whole point of doing it, money is just another vector for controlling people. It will take quite some time to build up sufficient resources to challenge Tesla, they know that, this is how the system works.

I don't know what the ratio of salvaged vs sales is but if we said 1% of new USA sales are damaged and safely repairable by enthusiasts, that's about 240 cars per year that could be rapidly charged but are banned by Tesla. In ten years time that is a lot of cars. It won't happen overnight but it will happen.

[xp677]

It's nothing to do with the third party charging network vendors... Tesla have decided to disable all rapid charging in the car because they own the software that performs that functionality not the person who purchased the car. Obviously, this has huge implications for the consumer and our right to repair

I guess it's time to hack those chargers even further to add those features back in!

[P.S.Mangelsdorf]

Obviously, this has huge implications for the consumer and our right to repair

And all the right to repair lawsuits are still mired in court, though they have only been heavily taken up in the Midwest (vs John Deere) from what I have seen.

[Kevin Sharpe]

Tesla Vs Aftermarket Mods: Will The Cat and Mouse Game Ever End?