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Yes and no. There are emergency positions where the unpowered key will be recognized.
I don't think that this is such an easy fix. If they set the software such that if the car doesn't sense the battery after being turned on, then you will get many situations where in legitimate circumstances when a driver has the key in the car but the battery is weak, the car will stop which is not a good situation. All other keyless cars that I've owned have worked the same way.
1) Key must be present in the vehicle to start
2) once started, the car will continue to run but will warn you if it does not sense the key.
This seems to work well and should be how the Tesla should work. Can anyone confirm that the car doesn't warn you if the key is not in the car? It seems to me that my car does warn me, but I haven't tested this specifically.
Troubling, as even my old 2006 Prius could tell if the fob was inside the car. Heck, the could be in the trunk and it could start. However, if there was no key in the car, it wouldn't start (or would warn that the key was away from the car if I had started the car and walked away with the key).
Brian,
I think that there is a position for an UNDERPOWERED fob to still operate (near the passenger windshield, but I don't think the fob has a method for powering itself with no battery power. My understanding was that the special location was just as close to the antenna as you could get and maximized the chances of a successful communication even at very low power... FWIW
I have the same issue. What I do is unlock the car as I walk away from it (by double pressing the top of the key fob) and place the key inside the home in a convenient location.My car is parked in my secure garage. Sometimes I go there to retrieve something out of it. In all my other cars, the doors are left unlocked in my garage so I can simply open the door & retrieve away. With my Model S I have to have the key on me to open the doors.
There are no HomeLink proximity sensors. The HomeLink menu pops up due to the car recognizing the GPS location. But, obviously, the GPS location could be used to leave the doors unlocked.
Since the car knows that it is in the garage (proximity sensors for the Home Link) I wonder if there could be a future software upgrade that allows the Model S to be open-able (maybe just tap on the retracted door handle) even if you don't have the key with you?
I have the same issue. What I do is unlock the car as I walk away from it (by double pressing the top of the key fob) and place the key inside the home in a convenient location.
There are no HomeLink proximity sensors. The HomeLink menu pops up due to the car recognizing the GPS location. But, obviously, the GPS location could be used to leave the doors unlocked.
The app let's you access the car?
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Found it. Another reason this car IS the future.
The Prius has a transponder at each of the active door handle locations plus one in the dash area. This allows it to triangulate and find the fob's location. The Tesla appears to have only one, or perhaps two, transponders, so it can only measure distance. This appears to be a cost cutting measure.
And it stays unlocked? I thought that after a certain amount of time it will lock. Don't the door handles get sucked in so how would you get into your car, in your garage without the key?I have the same issue. What I do is unlock the car as I walk away from it (by double pressing the top of the key fob) and place the key inside the home in a convenient location.
That's why they call 'em "options." You'd have a toggle option to not change the current settings; I'd even be in favor of letting the default settings be the current ones and you'd have to over ride to have the "DrTaras" option :wink:This would be a nice option, although I'm sure many people would not necessarily feel comfortable with their car unlocked all the time, even at home.
And it stays unlocked? I thought that after a certain amount of time it will lock. Don't the door handles get sucked in so how would you get into your car, in your garage without the key?
Mine locks after a few seconds as long as I'm not standing right by it with the fob. If I am then the handles retract but the car stays unlocked until I walk away. Handles retracting appear to be time based, locking is distance based.
My car is parked in my secure garage. Sometimes I go there to retrieve something out of it. In all my other cars, the doors are left unlocked in my garage so I can simply open the door & retrieve away. With my Model S I have to have the key on me to open the doors.
I was thinking about removing the battery from my second key fob and hiding the fob and key somewhere inside my car.
If I ever lost my active fob, had a fob failure or had a situation such as yours, I could unlock my car using the mobile app, retrieve the battery and spare key and all would be well.
Yeah, Tesla needs to improve key sensing behavior.
1. It should chime at you when a key is not detected and the vehicle is in drive.
2. It should not allow the car to lock when a key is inside and the car is off. Several folks have reported unknowingly misplacing their key, walking away, and returning only to find they are locked out. Luckily, the iPhone app comes to the rescue provided that you are within coverage.