Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

PBS and NPR Mount Last-Ditch Fight to Save Federal Funding

24 hours ago

Netanyahu Under Mounting Political Pressure After Party Quits

1 day ago

Wall Street Opens Higher After Inflation, Bank Results

1 day ago

Sick of Loud Ads on Netflix? A Proposed California Law Turns Down the Volume

2 days ago

Record Numbers of Americans Say Immigration Is Good for Country: Gallup Poll

2 days ago

In California Strawberry Fields, Immigration Raids Sow Fear

2 days ago

Newsom’s Office Attacks Stephen Miller, Calling Him a ‘Fascist Cuck’

2 days ago

Trump’s Spending Bill Will Likely Boost Costs for Insurers, Shrink Medicaid Coverage

2 days ago
Extremely Valuable Metal Driving Catalytic Converter Thefts Could be in Short Supply Through 2025
News
By News
Published 4 years ago on
March 4, 2021

Share

[aggregation-styles]

In just the past week, Andrew Reichenbach’s car repair shop has had three Mitsubishis come in with their exhaust pipes sawed off. The thieves were after a precious metal — tucked into almost all American vehicles — in such demand that it costs 15 times the price of gold.

“We’ve had 60 or 70 in just our shop alone if that gives you a sense of the magnitude of these thefts,” the mechanic said. “Most of my customers are just baffled. Like, why would somebody do this?”

The metallic element is housed in a bulbous piece of aluminum, called a catalytic converter, that encases a honeycomb structure that filters fumes. A single troy ounce, which is slightly heavier than a regular ounce, of rhodium cost around $27,000 last week — more than a brand new Toyota Prius. That’s up from $1,700 three years ago.

Because of shortages, the high value of rhodium is expected to persist until at least 2025.

Criminals who steal rhodium-containing catalytic converters usually sell them to a network of scrap merchants, officials say. Each converter generally contains about $400 worth of the precious metal.

Read More →

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

DON'T MISS

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

DON'T MISS

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

DON'T MISS

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

DON'T MISS

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

DON'T MISS

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

DON'T MISS

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Mexico Pledges Action Should US Talks Fail by August Tariff Deadline

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Armed Man Found Asleep in Car

UP NEXT

Rise of the Anti-“Woke” Democrat

UP NEXT

High-Level Saudi Visit Follows Multimillion-Dollar Foreign Influence Operation

UP NEXT

Iran and Russia Move to Fill Diplomatic Vacuum in Afghanistan

UP NEXT

Pelosi’s Husband Locked In $5.3 Million From Alphabet Options

UP NEXT

Experts Reportedly See Major Damage in Attack on Iran Centrifuge Plant

UP NEXT

Opinion: School Choice Marches Ahead

UP NEXT

Zakaria: Americans Care About History Because the Stakes Are High

UP NEXT

California Democrats Are Reliably Pro-Labor. But One Union Is Testing Their Patience.

UP NEXT

The Tightrope Walk Democrats Have Ahead on Two Separate Infrastructure Bills

UP NEXT

Bill Barr on Trump’s Election Fraud Claims: “It Was All Bullsh*t”

Israel Strikes Damascus as Fighting Rages in Southern Syria

29 minutes ago

Open Mic Contest Offers Fans a Chance to Perform at Outside Lands 2025

2 hours ago

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

15 hours ago

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

16 hours ago

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

16 hours ago

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

16 hours ago

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

16 hours ago

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

16 hours ago

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

17 hours ago

Wall Street Steadies as Investors Assess Inflation Data, Earnings

Wall Street’s main indexes were largely steady on Wednesday as investors sifted though fresh inflation data and earnings reports from ...

17 minutes ago

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
17 minutes ago

Wall Street Steadies as Investors Assess Inflation Data, Earnings

People mourn Palestinians who were killed in an incident on Wednesday while seeking aid in Khan Younis, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Hatem Khaled)
22 minutes ago

Crush at Gaza Aid Site Kills at Least 20, GHF Blames Armed Agitators

President Donald Trump walks upon his arrival from Pennsylvania, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 15, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
24 minutes ago

Trump Administration Sued by US States for Cutting Disaster Prevention Grants

Smoke rises from a building after strikes at Syria's defense ministry in Damascus, Syria, July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Khalil Ashawi)
29 minutes ago

Israel Strikes Damascus as Fighting Rages in Southern Syria

Outside Lands 2025 will debut its first-ever open mic contest, offering fans the opportunity to perform on the new Duboce Triangle stage. Pictured: Chappell Roan performing at Outside Lands 2024. (Alive Coverage/Outside Lands)
2 hours ago

Open Mic Contest Offers Fans a Chance to Perform at Outside Lands 2025

The number of osteopathic doctors has increased dramatically. People still don’t know what they are. (Sonia Pulido/The New York Times)
15 hours ago

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Reuters File)
16 hours ago

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend