Ella Scott
A Tesla owner was left red-faced after learning his newly purchased electric vehicle was actually banned from using Superchargers.
In September, Daniel Boycott purchased a 2022 Tesla Model 3, a midsize electric sedan, from a used car dealership.
The Chicago man was thrilled with the find, but his dreams shifted into a nightmare when he discovered he was unable to charge the battery at a Tesla Supercharger.
"That's when I found out it didn't work. I tried multiple stations. It's just not working,” he heartbreakingly recalled in an interview with CBS News.
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Hoping it was just a fluke, Boycott decided to ring Tesla HQ. It was a representative of the company who fed him the bad news; his brand-new car was actually lumped with a salvage title.
A salvaged vehicle is one that an insurer no longer considers roadworthy, often due to damage, according to ASM Auto Recycling.
Often, these cars have been restored after weather damage or had previously been in an accident. They are considered a ‘total loss’ by insurance companies.
Boycott was told on the phone and later in an email that his pre-owned Tesla was ‘currently unsupported for supercharging and warranties are voided due to salvaged vehicle.”
In response, he explained to the outlet: “I was told it was clean. The CARFAX said it was clean, and I trusted that.”
After looking closer at the car’s history, Boycott learned his vehicle had been embroiled in a ‘minor incident’.
However, a Tesla technician reportedly told him the repair work was ‘shoddy’ and that connecting the car to a Supercharger could be dangerous.
“It was bad enough where they flagged it,” Boycott confessed.
The keen driver remarked on how ‘insanely frustrating it was not to be able to use even one of the 70,000 Tesla Supercharger stations situated across the United States.
Admitting the convenient fast charging network was one of the key reasons that he went with the Tesla Model 3, Boycott said he’s had to put long-distance road trip plans on hold because its not just possible.
Boycott is currently working to repair the EV and is working with Tesla to hopefully get his car back in the good books and able to use the Superchargers again.
“I want access to the Supercharger network. You know, I don't want to pay like, $10,000 extra on a car that I already agreed to," he said.
He’s allegedly also still in negotiations with the used car dealership that sold him the car.
The owners said Illinois Secretary of State Police investigated and confirmed it has a clean title and has never had a salvaged title, as per CBS News.
While he continues to battle, Boycott has issued a warning for anyone else hoping to purchase a used EV.
"I would just take a deeper look into what you're buying, especially with EVs. People should trust what they're being sold.”