Tesla Batteries Have Been Repeatedly From Loading Docks In Nevada: Report

Someone has been stealing truckloads of Tesla batteries from the company’s factory loading docks in Nevada, according to a new report.

Wired detailed that, according to police reports, the company wasn’t following basic security protocols like verifying the identity of drivers before letting them through the factory gates. The result was loads of batteries being stolen.

The outlet added that the thefts have happened at least 11 times since December 2025. Criminals have made off with Tesla car and home batteries, with loads being taken straight from loading docks.

“It’s an epidemic right now,” Storey County Sheriff’s Detective Sam Hatley said.

Hately said that overall there had been 17 cargo thefts in Storey County. Although many of those thefts involved Tesla, Hately did not say specifically how many targeted the company. In at least one instance, a crime targeted both Tesla and a battery recycler called Redwood Materials.

Lithium-ion batteries are the central component of electric vehicles. According to Find My Electric, Tesla now uses several different battery types for it’s different models, including nickel-based batteries. As vehicles age, replacing a battery can prove costly.

According to Autoblog, a Tesla customer posted the potential total cost of replacing a battery on their 2013 vehicle. The estimate from the dealer was as much as a new Tesla Model 3.

A report from the American Transportation Research Institute found that cargo thefts in the U.S. have been on the rise. According to the report, the number of cargo thefts reported rose from around 1,600 in 2015 to nearly 3,000 in 2023.

Storey County is home to a Tesla battery factory which employs an estimated 12,000 people, Wired reported. The thefts have largely occurred right at the factory’s loading docks.

According to Wired, Tesla admitted that some of the thefts were the result of the company not following basic security procedures, such as verifying the identity of truck drivers at the factory gate. That has apparently changed.

“It’s definitely helping,” Hatley told Wired, adding that thefts are “happening, but not as prolifically.”