It’s never fun to find an empty space where you left your car.
That’s the situation a California couple found themselves in, but they were able to use technology to track their stolen Tesla Model S.
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Like other apps available for electric cars, Tesla’s lets owners monitor their vehicle’s charging status, battery state of charge, and other important functions.
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That includes the location of the car, which owners can track using GPS. It’s perfect for navigating a large parking garage or, in this case, tracking a stolen vehicle.
Above: Tesla’s ‘Find my Tesla’ app helped one couple follow along as police tracked down their missing vehicle.
The couple was leaving a friend’s house in La Jolla when they noticed the Model S was missing, and called the police.
However, that wasn’t all they did.
The white electric car was found at a nearby apartment complex, but the two thieves took off with it before police were able to apprehend them.
The thieves led police on a high-speed chase before being stopped by spike strips.
The Piranis tracked everything using the app, watching remotely as their car sped away from pursuing police and, seeing exactly where it stopped after the tires were shredded.
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It’s unclear how the two thieves were able to enter the Model S and drive away, although the key fob may have been misplaced or stolen.
A report from ABC 10 News states the key fob was missing (see video portion), although this isn’t mentioned in the other report.
The driver was quickly apprehended, but the passenger sustained injuries after falling down an embankment while trying to flee police, and was taken to a nearby hospital.
[hat tip: Steven Maifert]
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This story originally appeared on Green Car Reports. Copyright 2014
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