15 ms·

I believe most modern cars you buy today (even low-end ones) have a GSM modem connected to a phone carrier which is probably active regardless of your payment f

I believe most modern cars you buy today (even low-end ones) have a GSM modem connected to a phone carrier which is probably active regardless of your payment for the "connected" features, so not much better unless you figure out a way to pull its power.

jd20 11y ago
You could remove the SIM card I suppose. On some cars this is super easy (it just pops right out of the dash), on the Model S unfortunately its a lot harder to access (but still doable). And while most cars seem designed to do just fine when you pop out the SIM, nothing prevents Tesla from making the car inoperable without the SIM (I have no idea what the current behavior is, just speculating).
- mehrdada 11y ago
  I did not look hard, but didn't find an obvious location to remove the SIM from my Mercedes. It is certainly undocumented in the owner's manual. Note that [depending on the modem], simply removing the SIM might not be enough to turn the radio off. It might still try connecting to the network and naturally send your IMEI to the carrier. For instance, handsets are usually configured so you can call emergency numbers without SIM cards. They need to reach out to a network to do so. You might still be tracked. It's better to make sure it is not powered. I agree that Tesla probably takes the Orwellian issues to a whole new level, but I'm not sure this sort of lockdown would be limited to EVs for long.
eximius 11y ago
source? If so, I may need to go to my garage for a sec....
- mikeyouse 11y ago
  If your car has any "Telematics" system (OnStar, mBrace, ConnectedDrive, Car-Net, etc.) it definitely uses a SIM card to phone home. It varies based on the car, but I know as of ~MY2012, every single GM car comes standard with the OnStar functionality. I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers are the same.

15 ms·

I believe most modern cars you buy today (even low-end ones) have a GSM modem connected to a phone carrier which is probably active regardless of your payment f

by mehrdada 11y ago

jd20 11y ago
You could remove the SIM card I suppose. On some cars this is super easy (it just pops right out of the dash), on the Model S unfortunately its a lot harder to access (but still doable). And while most cars seem designed to do just fine when you pop out the SIM, nothing prevents Tesla from making the car inoperable without the SIM (I have no idea what the current behavior is, just speculating).
- mehrdada 11y ago
  I did not look hard, but didn't find an obvious location to remove the SIM from my Mercedes. It is certainly undocumented in the owner's manual. Note that [depending on the modem], simply removing the SIM might not be enough to turn the radio off. It might still try connecting to the network and naturally send your IMEI to the carrier. For instance, handsets are usually configured so you can call emergency numbers without SIM cards. They need to reach out to a network to do so. You might still be tracked. It's better to make sure it is not powered. I agree that Tesla probably takes the Orwellian issues to a whole new level, but I'm not sure this sort of lockdown would be limited to EVs for long.
eximius 11y ago
source? If so, I may need to go to my garage for a sec....
- mikeyouse 11y ago
  If your car has any "Telematics" system (OnStar, mBrace, ConnectedDrive, Car-Net, etc.) it definitely uses a SIM card to phone home. It varies based on the car, but I know as of ~MY2012, every single GM car comes standard with the OnStar functionality. I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers are the same.