Tesla tires and wheels can be expensive, and with the recent theft of dozens of them in the Houston area lately, there appears to be a criminal market for them.
Teslas are heavy cars because the batteries that power the cars are huge, so the tires needed are extra heavy duty in order to support the electric vehicle's weight, which is about 4,500 pounds versus the average internal combustion engine car weighing about 3,000 pounds.
A number of car experts say the tires on some Tesla models are comparable to all-terrain truck tires, which are expensive, as consumer tires go.
That's why it wouldn't be surprising that an "underground" market for such tires and wheels is developing.
In the Houston area, the League City Police Department is trying to find out who stole the wheels off 11 Teslas in a parking lot in the 2400 block of Tuscan Lakes Blvd.
Someone took all 44 tires on Valentine's Day and was trying to get the wheels off another Tesla but stopped for some unknown reason.
Authorities say this is far from the first time wheels have been reported stolen from Tesla vehicles, and more are expected.
In this case, there are almost no clues: security cameras both at the parking lot where the cars were stripped weren't working, and the Tesla cameras were off, of course, since the cars were turned off.
Even a check of nearby surveillance cameras yielded no clues.
Investigators continue to search for a suspect, and anyone with information that might help is urged to call the League City Police Department at 281-332-2566