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Tesla owners locked out of their cars after app stopped working
- 693471 7y agoWhy are people relying on the phone key as the only key for their car? What happens if you break your phone? Now you can't drive home? Stupid. Always carry the real key with you.
- http-teapot 7y agoand more commonly, what happens when your phone runs out of battery?
- notJim 7y agoI thought Model 3s didn't have keys.
- 693471 7y agoThey come with NFC credit cards
- 100100010001 7y agoTrue, but there is still no physical way to turn the car on. Teslas rely on wireless communication to turn on. That seems like a poor design to me.
- xedeon 7y agoSo what you're saying is that keyless start mechanisms (also wireless btw) in modern cars today are also poor design? Even if the keyfobs on the S/X run out of battery, they can still be used to unlock and start the car. Just like the keycard on the Model 3 (NFC based no battery needed): https://youtu.be/0J1VbeDfQmg?t=24 https://youtu.be/0J1VbeDfQmg?t=24
- unfoldedCravat 7y agoMost keyless start systems have a backup physical key[1] hidden inside the remote fob and will use very short range RFID [2] similar to older physical turn keys and their immobiliser chips to authenticate with the car ECU and allow the engine to start. [1] https://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2016/03/21/20/42/pic-3533884746378553322-1600x1200.png https://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2016/03/21/20/42/pic... [2] https://www.mazda3revolution.com/threads/if-the-battery-in-the-remote-dies-start-the-car-by-touching-the-push-button-with-it.195610/ https://www.mazda3revolution.com/threads/if-the-battery-in-t...
- xedeon 7y agoI'm aware of this as I have owned cars with this feature. Modern cars do not use the physical key to "start". It's mostly only to open the driver side door. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BttKQ6K-Y74 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BttKQ6K-Y74 RFID/NFC is used to actually start the car like you pointed out. On all current Tesla cars, they fobs and keycards can both unlock and start the car, making a physical key pointless.
- 100100010001 7y agoAny car that relies solely on wireless communication to start isn’t well thought out.
- xedeon 7y ago> Any car that relies solely on wireless communication to start isn’t well thought out. But this is not the case not just for Tesla but for most modern cars today. Not sure why you keep insisting this. There is a backup method for modern electronic keyfobs (incuding Tesla cars) where you place it in a designated spot to start the car: BMW: https://youtu.be/BttKQ6K-Y74?t=70 https://youtu.be/BttKQ6K-Y74?t=70 Lexus: https://youtu.be/9S8fm8UE9T8?t=57 https://youtu.be/9S8fm8UE9T8?t=57 Nissan: https://youtu.be/lV_HLwlOS-8?t=54 https://youtu.be/lV_HLwlOS-8?t=54 Audi: https://youtu.be/4gq4L9IQO7U?t=85 https://youtu.be/4gq4L9IQO7U?t=85 Tesla S/X: https://youtu.be/0J1VbeDfQmg?t=64 https://youtu.be/0J1VbeDfQmg?t=64 Tesla Model 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxCgtXEMVY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxCgtXEMVY As you can see, it's not solely "wireless". In the Model 3 this is the default behavior. For both unlocking and starting if using the keycard. If you can design a better system than the rest of the engineers in the auto industry combined, lets hear your idea.
- dmitrygr 7y agoThis is why you should buy a car made by a car company, not by a tech company. Eg: my car has two separate keyless methods (BT & nfc) implemented in the same keyfob, and if need be, it can also be physically inserted into a special hole (we call them keyholes) to physically unlock the car even if both car and key have no power! People could actually die of exposure if locked out of their cars in some climates. This is not a joke!
- sixQuarks 7y agoTesla’s do come with a key, it’s a card that you’re supposed to carry with you and it always works. The phone app is a convenience feature. Although it works flawlessly 99% of the time, you should not rely solely on it
- dmitrygr 7y agoIIRC the card is still electronics which means that it will not work if there is no power or a failure in the electronics
- austhrow743 7y agoIf your electric car doesn't have any power then you have bigger problems than not being able to get inside it.
- xedeon 7y ago> IIRC the card is still electronics which means that it will not work if there is no power or a failure in electronics Same with any modern car with a keyfob.. Hello?
- xedeon 7y agoI've have seen two articles like these within the last hour. They are straight up clickbait. You do NOT need the app to unlock or operate these cars. The Model S/X have regular keyfobs and the 3 has a keycard.
- cgriswald 7y agoOnce I left my house key at home. “No big deal,” I thought, “I can get in through the garage.” I got home and the power was out. I was locked out. If I’m understanding the logic, that means PG&E left me stranded.
- sabareesh 7y agoJust to be clear app didnt stop working only the backend service had a downtime close to 2 hrs. During this time i was able to still use phone as a key. Only things that rely on backend service wouldnt work, like remotely unlocking you car from different country for whatever reason.