Feature suggestion--Beep when locked

[steve841]

No I'm not kidding. A pedestrian warning sound is something that I've wanted for the Roadster for three years now. A slight sound that goes burp when you pull to flash the brights. I believe it should be an industry standard on all Electric vehicles. If Tesla makes it the same sound as a Model S locking confiremation beep then we are 1/2 way there.

Isn't a horn standard equipment?

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

You're kidding right? I was trailing a bicycle downhill on a rainy day and I'm SURE he couldn't hear me, and was not inclined to look around. I thought about honking but decided that was rude, so I just let him go 20 mph until the bottom of the hill, then I pulled around him. He looked at me like "Where do YOU come from?"

So we really do need some kind of sound less than a HONK but still would not scare the %##$^ out of a pedestrian or cyclist that had no clue we are behind them....

Ya, I blew past co workers the other day, starting from 50 feet behind them so I was going pretty fast when I passed. They were facing the other way and one of the girls jumped into the other one almost. She looked so confused. Not that I would have warned them but I didn't expect to scare them, oops

 

[vfx]

Isn't a horn standard equipment?

This is not the car's horn. That is a loud sound designed to be heard by a someone in a car on the road. The pedestrian warning sound is a seperate sound that is a gentle nudge to tell people in parking lots that you are coming. A silent car driver has greater responsibilities to let others know you are moving.

 

[Warrenbonz]

Another way would be to have an "unlocked" light on until it locks (it's hard to hear the beep from 10 m). This could be as simple as the DRL LEDs and top brake LEDs (the ones at the top of the hatch) turn on when the driver exits and the door is unlocked and then go off when the car locks.

I like this idea. This along with a beep (more subtle than the full horn) as separate user configurable options would be ideal. (I think my GS450 is set up like this minus the Auto locking part )

 

[strider]

I'm guessing you don't have kids that sometimes don't completely close a door? I'm sure ill gain complete confidence in time, I'm already much better, but a brief beep is no big deal, every car w/ remotes does it.

My son is almost 2 so not yet. However, in all of the cars we've owned (Subaru's, Jeeps, etc) if you hit the Lock button on the keyfob it will lock the doors, flash the lights, and beep/honk even if a door is not closed so I don't know how the behavior is different? The car is still "unlocked" in that someone could come by and open a door and gain access to the car.

I know that every car w/ a remote does it and it drives me crazy. W/ my Corvette it would flash the lights and that was plenty for me but yes, I wasn't relying on a child to close a door. I'm fine w/ it being an option but I stand by my view that familiarity/trust in the system and the mobile app will make it unnecessary.

 

[Robert.Boston]

My Audi and my BMW both provide a beep (not the horn, but electronic) only when all the doors are closed and locked. So, if I'm carrying a bunch of stuff, I can open the trunk, lock the car with the fob, get the stuff out, and close the trunk -- at which point, the car beeps. I'd like to see this behavior replicated in the Model S.

 

[Lloyd]

I like the quiet approach. If added please make it user selectable.

 

[efusco]

My son is almost 2 so not yet. However, in all of the cars we've owned (Subaru's, Jeeps, etc) if you hit the Lock button on the keyfob it will lock the doors, flash the lights, and beep/honk even if a door is not closed so I don't know how the behavior is different? The car is still "unlocked" in that someone could come by and open a door and gain access to the car.

I know that every car w/ a remote does it and it drives me crazy. W/ my Corvette it would flash the lights and that was plenty for me but yes, I wasn't relying on a child to close a door. I'm fine w/ it being an option but I stand by my view that familiarity/trust in the system and the mobile app will make it unnecessary.

My Prius gives a totally different alert if there is a door ajar when I try to lock it. And it's happened many times..which is why I could use a little reassurance in the form of a soft alert.

- - - Updated - - -

I'll add one other bit...on the paranoid side.

I timed the delay to full locking at something like 15 seconds after I'm out of the 30' range. It's possible that a bad guy could grab a door handle and open the car before it has a chance to lock when I'm already out of visual range of the car. Indeed, last night I was at least 75' and across a street from the car before the headlamps flashed to alert me to locking and in that time two guys that had stepped into an alley when I parked had come back out and were checking out the car.

As I said, maybe a tad paranoid, but as a user selectable option I think this would be a good feature to add.

 

[Iz]

There should be an option that allows us to automatically lock the doors and arm the security system. I can think of several instances where the 30' range might not work:

(1) Parking in a driveway where the vehicle is < 30' from where one hangs their keys
(2) In a restaurant where one is seated < 30' from the vehicle
(3) Even in a mall one can be less than the 30 feet at times or get within range while walking around. Would this automatically unlock the doors then lock them after the threshold range is reached?

Someone wanting to gain entry to the vehicle might just wait around while one is within that 30 foot window.

 

[JoshG]

There should be an option that allows us to automatically lock the doors and arm the security system.

I may be missing something, but don't we have that option today? Click the 'roof' of your keyfob once and the system is armed and the doors are locked, right?

 

[dsm363]

Yeah, you can click top of key fob once and watch your car lock before you walk away.

 

[strider]

My Corvette had the same delay and yes in theory someone could open the door before it locked but then what? They couldn't drive the car w/o the fob. If you're in a high-crime area where something like that could occur you shouldn't leave anything in the car anyway (since they'll just break a window to steal whatever you left out).

Walk-away locking is a convenience feature. If you don't trust it or are in a situation when you want it to lock more quickly then whip out your keyfob.

 

[jerry33]

Actually, the Prius' square button to lock is pretty good. You don't have to dig for the fob and it's always right there.

 

[kendallpb]

if you hit the Lock button on the keyfob it will lock the doors, flash the lights, and beep/honk even if a door is not closed so I don't know how the behavior is different? The car is still "unlocked" in that someone could come by and open a door and gain access to the car.

Part of the idea to me is that Tesla, being smarter than most car companies, would do it right. I.e., not beep, or beep differently, or whatever. why should they be tied to current automakers' mediocrity? ;-)

- - - Updated - - -

Whoops, read a couple later replies than the one I replied to, and it sounds like some carmakers do get it right.

 

[Iz]

I may be missing something, but don't we have that option today? Click the 'roof' of your keyfob once and the system is armed and the doors are locked, right?

Thanks. I do not have my vehicle yet. The posts I've read center around automatic lock/unlock feature based on keyfob proximity.

 

[ElSupreme]

Ok, I have a terribly embarrassing question. How do you lock the doors with the keyfob?

I left my car unlocked for about 20 minutes while in a Whole Foods (closest free charger to try out) because lock when away wasn't turned on in the options. Well I think this is what happened. I didn't realize it until afterwards when messing with all the menus and I found that option turned off.

 

[NigelM]

Ok, I have a terribly embarrassing question. How do you lock the doors with the keyfob?

One press on the center (roof) button.

 

[mknox]

Part of the idea to me is that Tesla, being smarter than most car companies, would do it right. I.e., not beep, or beep differently, or whatever. why should they be tied to current automakers' mediocrity? ;-)

My current ICE can be set to auto lock or not. On auto lock it can be set to do so silently, flash the lights, chirp the horn or both. That seems pretty smart. I like the horn chirp because I can just walk away and hear the chirp and be assured the car is locked. If a door is not closed or ajar, it gives a different chirp sound and I can turn around and close the door. If I leave the fob in the car, the car gives three chirps and remains unlocked. I end up leaving the fob in the car all the time (i.e. jacket pocket and jacket in back seat) and find this feature really handy.

 

[Todd Burch]

Ok, I have a terribly embarrassing question. How do you lock the doors with the keyfob?

I left my car unlocked for about 20 minutes while in a Whole Foods (closest free charger to try out) because lock when away wasn't turned on in the options. Well I think this is what happened. I didn't realize it until afterwards when messing with all the menus and I found that option turned off.

ElSupreme, I guess I pegged you wrong. I always thought of you as an RTFM kind of guy :biggrin:

This is actually one of the few things that IS in the manual :wink:.

(P.S. Just kidding. Being a d**che just to be a d**che )

 

[brianman]

lock when away wasn't turned on in the options. Well I think this is what happened. I didn't realize it until afterwards when messing with all the menus and I found that option turned off.

FYI, you might have had this happen to you:

Update on this:
I noticed today in my settings that "Walk Away Door Locks" were set to "Off". Presumably one of the firmware upgrades changed this setting. After flipping back to on, I now get the same door lock distance (roughly 30 ft) from the initial version of the vehicle when I took delivery (I forgot which version it was).