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The Man Who Jailbreaks Teslas (fastcompany.com)
harrymcc writes: Normally, a totaled Tesla is worth so little that they sell for peanuts at salvage auctions. But Berkeley, California engineer Phil Sadow buys trashed Tesla cars and gets them up and running again -- a feat which has required him to figure out how to root their software so he can run diagnostics normally unavailable to a tinkerer such as himself. Over at Fast Company, Daniel Terdiman tells the story of Sadow's work, which Tesla is apparently nonplussed about but has not tried to prevent. Slashdot reader Ingineerix also submitted the story, sharing an excerpt from the report: In a cramped warehouse in an industrial neighborhood in Berkeley, California, a Tesla Model 3 is ready to go. It's powered up, its display screen is on, and it's pumping out data. But there are some strange error messages. For one, the passenger door window is uncalibrated. For another, the autopilot electronic control unit is missing. These would be troubling signals for most Tesla owners. For Phil Sadow, though, they make perfect sense. After all, his Model 3 is lacking some very important components: its windows, its wheels, and the entire body frame. For the last three years, Sadow, a 49-year-old electrical engineer who also goes by the moniker Ingineer, has been rebuilding and selling salvaged Teslas. He's also taught a global community of fellow enthusiasts to do the same, charging an hourly rate as a consultant on other tinkerers' repair projects. All told, he says, he's rebuilt -- or helped other people rebuild -- almost 400 vehicles over the last three years.
Most cars will work if you replace the telematics antenna with a dummy load. Remember, they still need to be drivable in areas with no cell service.
Most right to repair laws state OEM's must be able to supply the same tools, information, schematics, parts... to 3rd parties as to their dealers.
Now, how many Tesla dealers are their again?
If Tesla goes bankrupt, how much value will these cars have, without any authorized repairs, updates, new parts, or warranty providers?
If Tesla is sensible, they'll break their neck looking the other way on this. Let the guy take all the risk. If his efforts pay off, a whole new market will open up for them. Wrecked, rooted Teslas won't be snapped up by people who can afford a new one. They'll be grabbed off by folks who want to go top-drawer electric but couldn't afford to, and maybe eventually for fleets.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
I know you are trying to be funny, but that's only the number I've helped to get back on the road. Their salvage car blacklist is about 1400 cars now. Based on how many I have in that list, I'd say there are at least 4000 Salvage Teslas now.