Tesla Faces Supply Chain Crisis As Battery Shipments Are Stolen At The Source

Thieves have stolen at least 11 truckloads of Tesla batteries from the company's Gigafactory in Nevada since December, with nine of the suspected thefts occurring in January alone, according to a Wired investigation based on sheriff's records.

The trailers, loaded with Powerwall home batteries and vehicle battery components worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each, were taken directly from the factory's loading docks before they could reach customers. Storey County Sheriff's Detective Sam Hatley described the situation as "an epidemic right now," noting that investigators are tracking at least 17 cargo theft cases this year involving Tesla and other local businesses.

According to Wired, the thefts were not opportunistic smash-and-grabs but organised operations exploiting weaknesses in Tesla's logistics chain. Suspects allegedly used forged commercial driving licences and impersonated legitimate carriers to collect shipments. In one case on 19 January, a trailer carrying 123 Powerwalls bound for Hayward, California, vanished after a freight broker unknowingly handed the job to an unlicensed carrier. Two further trailers, each holding roughly $500,000 worth of batteries, were stolen days later; one was recovered empty, the other found fully loaded at a petrol station 18 miles from the factory.

A Tesla manager admitted to investigators that early thefts resulted from a failure to follow basic security procedures, including verifying drivers' identities at the gate. The company has since tightened checks, and Wired reported that the detective said the changes were "definitely helping," though thefts continue at a reduced pace.

Tesla's systems block activation of any Powerwall flagged as stolen, rendering recovered units useless to buyers. Three suspects were arrested in late January after police tracked a stolen trailer; trials are scheduled for October. Tesla did not respond to Wired's request for comment.