Driver Profile not key specific???

[Skotty]

I'm sorry, but you don't need to buy a Rolls-Royce to get seat position memory linked to a key fob. It's on $20k Fords. I also don't know what a "classic rich person" is, but the amount of money people make has nothing to do with them wanting basic functionality that has been in many cheaper automobiles for over 10 years.

I get it. Tesla is a young company. They're learning. They couldn't have thought of everything. And what they've done in such a short amount of time is really amazing. No one is taking away from that. But to say that giving us some way of accessing seat position memory or profiles without having to get in the car and use the touch screen is an unnecessary "classic rich person" request is silly.

I wouldn't call it basic functionality. I've been buying > $30K cars for about a decade (2008 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, 2008 Jeep Liberty Sport, 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid, 2011 Ford Mustang GT, 2012 Chevy Volt), many well equipped, and I don't think a single one of them has even had driver profiles at all yet, yet alone ones that auto-detect you by key. Surely I would have hit on this feature by accident by now if it was basic functionality.

I refer to this as a "classic rich person" feature, which is admittedly a stereotype, because it seems so trivial and unimportant, yet people seem to be getting so upset about it. Since the day I was born until this very day, it's standard procedure to get in the car, then adjust the seat and mirrors (often manually), before driving off in a car someone else last drove. It's never been a big deal, nor should it be. Driver profiles would be a neat feature, and auto-detect by key would be pretty cool too, but I just don't see it being a big deal. If you can't get into the car, move the seat first. On a powered seat, it's a simple button; you push it until the seat is back far enough. I'm bowing out now, as I'm borderline snippy, and think the whole debate is ridiculous. My apologies, I'll take my leave.

 

[Xminus6]

I wouldn't call it basic functionality. I've been buying > $30K cars for about a decade (2008 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, 2008 Jeep Liberty Sport, 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid, 2011 Ford Mustang GT, 2012 Chevy Volt), many well equipped, and I don't think a single one of them has even had driver profiles at all yet, yet alone ones that auto-detect you by key. Surely I would have hit on this feature by accident by now if it was basic functionality.

I'm frankly surprised your 2011 Mustang GT doesn't have it. I have a 2010 Flex that has this feature. My 2006 Infiniti FX also had the same feature. My main cars have had it for nearly ten years of ownership that I find it astounding that Tesla hasn't thought to implement it in their own cars. It's not like it would require a ton of engineering, they only produce 2 models of cars.

 

[smorgasbord]

Of course this should be a feature - it's a no-brainer if there ever was one

I respectfully disagree.

Using the key fob is so last decade, and impractical for my family. We have 3 drivers and 4 vehicles. How would you set that up? 12 key rings - one for each driver/car combination? That's silly. Maybe a ring for each driver that has 4 fobs and house key? That's ungainly huge.

We have 4 rings: each has a key fob for a particular vehicle and a house key. When someone leaves the house, they grab the ring with the key fob for the car they're taking. Easy, simply, lightweight. It's also easy to tell which cars are in the garage and which are out by looking at the key dish by the door.


If you think about it, what's the easiest way for the car to identify the driver? Tesla's don't have interior camera's yet, so the cell phone gets my vote. Most people always have their cell phone with them when they leave the house, and no-one shares cell phones. If two previously paired phones enter the car at about the same time, the car can choose the first one it sees and/or prompt on the touchscreen for who is driving.

 

[Soolim]

When 2 persons with different S fobs are in the car, the fob that first gets recognized by S, sets the profile.

 

[muleferg]

This a great idea and I've now created an exit profile as well. I do understand the OPs complaint. I wonder what the official reason for not having them key-aware is?

Exit profile since the car arrived in March 2014.

Toilet seat resolved 10 years ago. When we built a new house 10 years ago I told my wife I wanted a urinal.

 

[DCGOO]

Auto-exit profile when the door opens or the car is put in park would go a very long way towards satisfying me.

+1

-d

 

[DFibRL8R]

We did the same but my wife refuses to remember to use so I always have to manually adjust the seat like I used to do on my college budget cars from the 80's.

I stopped reminding her to use the exit profile, because every time I did she'd remind me how much I spent it.

Sounds like you might need to "forget" to lower the toilet seat a bit more often:wink:
I must admit I am impressed by Muleferg's solution to this modern day domestic challenge.

 

[jerry33]

It would be nice to have, but until Tesla has multiple fob sensors so that it can determine the location of each fob, it will be more trouble than it's worth because it would adjust the seats to whichever fob it latched onto first, so there's a 50% chance of getting it wrong.

 

[wk057]

I don't know why the multiple fob case automatically means that a feature like this shouldn't be implemented... especially when it would work perfectly when only one fob is present (pretty common).

And the car does has multiple fob antennas. It also has enough antennas to determine the key position. If it didn't, if you locked your car while inside with the fob then locking would be useless because the car would just sense the fob and open the door when someone touched it.

 

[jerry33]

And the car does has multiple fob antennas. It also has enough antennas to determine the key position.

If that's the case, then why can the car be started when the fob is outside the car?

 

[RAW84]

Yea I think this just falls into the category of those features Tesla neglected to implement because it wasn't on their mind. I feel like there's been more egregious features left out going back to its launch and many eventually did get implemented.

It's a perfectly reasonable request, with no real technical reason it can't be implemented (that I can think of), so I'd say keep letting Tesla know you want this feature. Unlike other cars, there's a fairly good chance you could get this in an OTA update. I'd take solace in that fact.

 

[gizmoboy]

I respectfully disagree.

Using the key fob is so last decade, and impractical for my family. We have 3 drivers and 4 vehicles. How would you set that up? 12 key rings - one for each driver/car combination? That's silly. Maybe a ring for each driver that has 4 fobs and house key? That's ungainly huge.

We have 4 rings: each has a key fob for a particular vehicle and a house key. When someone leaves the house, they grab the ring with the key fob for the car they're taking. Easy, simply, lightweight. It's also easy to tell which cars are in the garage and which are out by looking at the key dish by the door.


If you think about it, what's the easiest way for the car to identify the driver? Tesla's don't have interior camera's yet, so the cell phone gets my vote. Most people always have their cell phone with them when they leave the house, and no-one shares cell phones. If two previously paired phones enter the car at about the same time, the car can choose the first one it sees and/or prompt on the touchscreen for who is driving.

You misunderstand... you don't need to "use" the key fob to get this feature. Simply being in possession of it is sufficient to identify you to many modern (and not so modern) cars.

And the fact of it being a fab is also not necessary. What is necessary is 1) an identification scheme (fob, RFIS chip, NFC smartphone) and 2) software to make some default selection when detected.

And your use-case (3 drivers each of whom drives any of 4 cars) is so fringe that it would never be taken into account by any manufacturer. For you, you'd simply not set any profile and just adjust the car as needed each time one of your drivers used it. (Though I'd be stunned if any driver in the house is allowed to use the Tesla!).

 

[wk057]

If that's the case, then why can the car be started when the fob is outside the car?

Good question.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

I wouldn't call it basic functionality.
...
I refer to this as a "classic rich person" feature, which is admittedly a stereotype, because it seems so trivial and unimportant, yet people seem to be getting so upset about it.

I understand this, especially after the clarification.
Car = seats adjustable as needed
Convenience feature = powered seats that move with a button push
Advanced convenience = car memorizes positions and has a button to recall one (or more if it's really techy) profile
Classic Rich Person Feature = the car pushes the button FOR you

Name callers, my Ignore List thanks you for providing its breakfast today.

 

[green1]

If that's the case, then why can the car be started when the fob is outside the car?

Because the sensors aren't in ideal locations, that said, I'm pretty sure it has a sensor on each side of the car, I know there's one in the end panel of the dashboard on the driver's side, and I know there are other sensors too. Whatever fob is first read on that driver's dash sensor should set the profile, if it gets it wrong even 5% of the time it's still an infinite improvement over today to go from zero to 95%

 

[Whitmarsh]

Auto-exit profile when the door opens or the car is put in park would go a very long way towards satisfying me.

Or when you lift your backside off the seat?

 

[Ugliest1]

It would be nice to have, but until Tesla has multiple fob sensors so that it can determine the location of each fob, it will be more trouble than it's worth because it would adjust the seats to whichever fob it latched onto first, so there's a 50% chance of getting it wrong.

And this is how my previous ICE, a 2007 Infiniti, worked. And it was highly annoying, because my wife would usually get to the passenger side first. That would set the driver seat to her setting, meaning I had to readjust before I got in (not being able to contort myself small enough). So... It's wait for her setting change to complete, re-unlock the car with my fob to start my setting, wait for my setting to complete, and finally get in. Highly annoying and I actually really like Tesla's solution.

Because the sensors aren't in ideal locations, that said, I'm pretty sure it has a sensor on each side of the car, I know there's one in the end panel of the dashboard on the driver's side, and I know there are other sensors too. Whatever fob is first read on that driver's dash sensor should set the profile, if it gets it wrong even 5% of the time it's still an infinite improvement over today to go from zero to 95%

Yes, this would be great. I'd also settle for an auto-exit move the seat back thing.

 

[benf]

I understand this, especially after the clarification.
Car = seats adjustable as needed
Convenience feature = powered seats that move with a button push
Advanced convenience = car memorizes positions and has a button to recall one (or more if it's really techy) profile
Classic Rich Person Feature = the car pushes the button FOR you

Name callers, my Ignore List thanks you for providing its breakfast today.

So the car locks/unlocks itself, presents/hides its door handles, turns itself on/off, automatically brakes and prevents accidents, and now practically DRIVES ITSELF, but pushing a memory seat button is a "classic rich person feature." Got it. LOL

Either you accept that the Tesla is not a "classic rich person" car, and it is in fact a "techy silicon valley startup car" or you accept that based on its price tag, the ENTIRE CAR is a "classic rich person" car. Regardless, either of those two groups/stereotypes should, by default, have seat memory easily accessible as you enter the car, either with a button on the door, a link to the fob, or an option in the app.

And again, for people saying "well my Volt, Prius, Civic, Accord, etc." didn't have it, we get it, a lot of cheaper cars don't have it. SOME $20-30k cars have it. MOST $50k cars have it. ALMOST ALL $70k+ cars have it...except the Tesla. And hey, it is what it is. But if we don't bring stuff like this up, they will never improve the car. You should be welcoming this constructive criticism so your car can be improved.

 

[InsaneDriver]

If the car can nearly drive itself, you would think it could recognize which FOB is getting into the driver's seat. Tesla has been all about technology, maybe just missed this one as they have worked to develop other technologies and capabilities. Maybe it's 'on the list'; probably standard for the Model 3.

 

[Cebe]

So, does anyone know if the car is programmed to recognize the fob, or if the fob is programmed to work on a car? If fob's are dumb, and have no ID of their own, you couldn't do the "preset based on this fob".

I was surprised this was missing, but didn't really get to benefit from previous cars having it, so I personally don't care. If the fobs have IDs, this isn't hard to do, non-withstanding all the "what if there are multiple fobs in the same car" - the same could be argued about "what if there are multiple phones in the car", and that seems to be taken care of with a simple priority list.