Have there been reports of anyone trying to hack into SuperChargers?

[wayner]

SuperChargers pump out a lot of power - has anyone heard stories of anyone trying to hack into them (I am sure Tesla most have some authentication built into them currently)? If you had batteries that you could move around, like PowerWalls mounted on a truck or batteries from a salvaged Model S, then you could potentially mooch a lot of power.

 

[gavine]

Not worth the effort in my opinion. Plus other Model S drivers will be vigilant.

 

[Johan]

SuperChargers pump out a lot of power - has anyone heard stories of anyone trying to hack into them (I am sure Tesla most have some authentication built into them currently)? If you had batteries that you could move around, like PowerWalls mounted on a truck or batteries from a salvaged Model S, then you could potentially mooch a lot of power.

I'm almost 100% certain that the superchargers won't let you charge if they are not online with Tesla's servers. I think the SC will just show as faulty in that condition, even if there was full power available. The authentication is there more on the server side, live. The vehicles or possible just the batteries just identify themselves, but there is an online servers that tells the SC to let that car/battery charge. So the only hack would be to represent yourself with a valid ID, this could either be easy or hard depending on how Tesla implemented the identification/authentication (with or without a lot of encryption for example) procedure. Anyway, even if you were able to present a false ID after a short while Tesla's central server would notice the same car/battery being plugged in several places at the same time, or say at 5 o'clock in New York and at 6 o'clock in LA (not physically possible to move that fast).

 

[deonb]

I'm almost 100% certain that the superchargers won't let you charge if they are not online with Tesla's servers. I think the SC will just show as faulty in that condition, even if there was full power available.

I doubt this is true. There would be large-scale outages if they depend on being online or else. I think you guys in Norway are spoiled with reliable internet .

 

[CmdrThor]

Seems like it would be easier to just tap straight into a power line. Given the price of electricity and the cost of a truck full of PowerWalls, the risk/reward is not there.

 

[Johan]

I doubt this is true. There would be large-scale outages if they depend on being online or else. I think you guys in Norway are spoiled with reliable internet .

OK. Perhaps you're right. But even if the SC only sent info on all charges once per 24 hours abuse would quickly be discovered on Tesla's central servers for the reasons I gave above:

Anyway, even if you were able to present a false ID after a short while Tesla's central server would notice the same car/battery being plugged in several places at the same time, or say at 5 o'clock in New York and at 6 o'clock in LA (not physically possible to move that fast).

... only you'd discover it after a few days if the SCs only sent data once a day (I'm sure they have good uptime). An offline supercharger would be physically visited by a service team if it stayed unintentionally offline for more than a few hours.

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Seems like it would be easier to just tap straight into a power line. Given the price of electricity and the cost of a truck full of PowerWalls, the risk/reward is not there.

Occam's razor. Bingo.

 

[wayner]

Not worth the effort in my opinion. Plus other Model S drivers will be vigilant.

I don't use SCs a lot be on my visits, other than to the one at the Toronto Service Centre, I have been the only vehicle at the SC. So often there isn't anyone to be vigilant.