On the other, it looks like another classic poorly handled Tesla mess-up.
The whole debacle has highlighted a confusing situation for second-hand owners of the EVs.
Theres a lot to unpack here, so strap in.
The Tesla Model S in question was originally owned by an unnamed individual.
Under local California law (Lemon Law) Tesla bought the car back off its original owner.
Options which no doubt pushed the bids at auction up higher than they would have been otherwise.
United Traders wasnt made aware of this, and continued to market the car as having those options.
The documents didnt mention anything about Autopilot or FSD.
The reason: It was found that the customer did not purchase the software.
So they removed it.
Nowhere did Tesla actually say that this was the case, though.
What does Tesla have to say?
It was largely the same case in the US.
In fact, everyone I spoke to wasnt even aware of Alecs case.
So it cant be that common an occurrence.
But its concerning nonetheless.
It also points to a potentially massive headache for future Tesla owners, particularly those that buy used vehicles.
The new owner may get confused for someone shouldnt have Autopilot and FSD enabled on their vehicle.
What happened to Alecindeed, may not have been intentional.
But only after substantial fuss and exposure from the media, which is nothing new for Tesla.
Earlier this year, scholar and author Nassim Nicolas Talebaccidentally purchased Autopilotthrough the Tesla app, using his posterior.
Evidently, this isnt entirely true.
Alecs case proves that Tesla can remove features from its vehicles, but only when it pleases it seems.
It also shows that Tesla is looking at its cars, and rifling through user data.
What about average drivers who arent in the public eye or have massive followings on social media?
Now that Alec has the features again, it seems it was just a massive misunderstanding.
One that was subsequently handled very poorly.
Will I then be able to sell my old Tesla privately without EAP and FSD.
What if I gift my EAP and FSD equipped Tesla to a family member whom Tesla is unaware of?
Will it remove the features for the same reasons it removed Alecs?
Story byMatthew Beedham
Matthew is the editor of SHIFT.
He likes electric cars, and other things with wheels, wings, or hulls.
