As per a report on CNBC, Siraj Raval is one of the latest Tesla owners to use the vehicle as a conduit to mine for cryptocurrencies.
Raval is running free mining software on his Apple Mac mini M1 and powers the computer through the 12-volt power socket in the car’s centre console.
In addition to the Mac mini, Raval also hooked up interconnected GPUs in the “frunk” of his Tesla to increase his mining setup. When fully operational and crypto prices were high, Raval was making as much as $800 a month.
However, there are a few catches to this story. First and foremost, Raval bought his vehicle before January 2017. This means he has free and unlimited Supercharging for the vehicle’s life. The cost of electricity is typically the highest cost for crypto mining.
Secondly, as mining has become more complex, the profit can fluctuate.
However, others who have cracked into the Model 3 believe that Raval overestimates his scheme. Thomas Sohmers, a hacker and crypto miner, estimates that you generate $13.88 from mining these days.
For Sohmers, the effort is not worth the reward.
At the end of the day, as much as this sounds like a good idea, it is probably not worth the effort or the risk of voiding your Tesla warranty over a hard to mine digital currency that is volatile.
Source: CNBC
