How Secure is the Key Card?

[Topher]

if Tesla has thought about it?

The answer to this is almost always, 'yes'. In particular, Elon has stated that security is a prime goal, as failures are likely to kill the company. I am pretty sure he is likely to have assigned competent person to the job. How careful would you be if it was your 10 Billion dollars?

No matter what, as soon as you need an instruction manual for something as simple as entering a vehicle with a key, there is something wrong imho.

You just think that since you grew up with keys, that they don't require a manual. I assure you in 20 years you will need to explain them to the youth of the day. And they will look at you like you grew antlers.

Thank you kindly.

 

[Mom of 3]

I wonder how my situation would work.... I have a smart phone that's with me all the time except at work. My work forbids smart phones, so I just leave it in the car during the day. I would like to enable the Model 3 App on the phone, but would leaving it in the car means that my car is never locked? Perhaps I can lock the car before I exit (preferred) or disable the bluetooth when I exit (not preferred). I do use bluetooth while driving for phone calls and having to re-enable each time would be hassle. Is there even a lock button on the door panel or would I have to use the screen?

Any ideas how the system would behave with the phone is left in the car?

 

[Runt8]

I think Tesla has created a solution for a "problem" that doesn't exist.
No matter what, as soon as you need an instruction manual for something as simple as entering a vehicle with a key, there is something wrong imho.
Sure, in the end it might become a non-issue, but I just don't understand why there is a need for something this complicated and inconvenient when there is a tried and trusted method that has worked for decades and still works beautifully. I thought Tesla was about simplicity and ease of use. Such as system is the exact opposite to me.
I have no problem with changing times, I wouldn't change to a BEV for instance if it was so. But it has to make sense. Such a system doesn't make the least bit sense to me, or at least it doesn't offer any tangible advantage over a classic key or keyfob.

My current 13 year old car has a section in the instruction manual explaining how the key fobs work. Cars with handsfree unlocking have even longer sections explaining how they work. And I guarantee that dealerships and repair shops have a manual that explains how to re-pair key fobs - the only difference is that with the Model 3, Tesla allows owners to do it. As a bonus, you don't have to pay $400 for a new key fob if something happens to your current one.

If you're one of the very small percentage of people who are in the market for an EV and don't have a smartphone, then you can use the RFID card - which, as an added benefit, will likely be a fraction of the cost of a bluetooth key fob if you need a replacement.

 

[gregincal]

Seriously....that`s incredibly lame.

I guess. It doesn't seem like that common a feature on sedans.

 

[GWord]

...
Plus, how long will the reception distance of the BT sensor be? If I park at our grocery store, get out and walk away, the car supposedly locks. I will have to believe it because I can't check, for as soon as I approach it will automatically open again. But now I enter the grocery store and walk along the aisle which is next to the wall that my car is parked next to*. Will the BT module have a reach far enough to make the car unlock itself because I am just a few feet away, but inside a building? This scenario will apply to any time I am somewhere near the car, but physically separated by building walls. Happens all the time during shopping, at the bank, while eating out, etc.
I am really concerned about this. Brings me back to wishing for an old school style key solution.

*remember over here we have lots of stores with parking spaces right next to the wall of the building, unlike the US where you have to take a golf cart from your parking spot on the vast car park to just get to the store entrance

Just turn that feature off?

 

[dgpcolorado]

I wonder how my situation would work.... I have a smart phone that's with me all the time except at work. My work forbids smart phones, so I just leave it in the car during the day. I would like to enable the Model 3 App on the phone, but would leaving it in the car means that my car is never locked? Perhaps I can lock the car before I exit (preferred) or disable the bluetooth when I exit (not preferred). I do use bluetooth while driving for phone calls and having to re-enable each time would be hassle. Is there even a lock button on the door panel or would I have to use the screen?

Any ideas how the system would behave with the phone is left in the car?

My guess is that the car would not lock. The solution is to turn off the phone before leaving it in the car or to not enable the bluetooth lock/unlock function and stick with the keycard. If your phone is anything like mine, turning it all the way off is very easy. Turning it back on again takes a few seconds because it has to reboot.

 

[jhs_7645]

This thread seems kind a nuts to me.

Does *anybody* use an RFID card key to access a parking lot/ building/ office / parking garage / etc...
How hard is *that* to understand?

Those things are handed out for everything (I have two in my wallet right now), and have been for DECADES. I just don't understand why people think that's so hard when it's the same thing, but for your car.

Tangentially, They have added the ability to 'put away' your card and replace it with your phone. Something that is being done with credit cards, boarding passes, train tickets, baseball games, coupons, membership cards, etc...

Tesla is not doing anything new or different, they're just doing it for the car.

 

[N5329K]

I thought Tesla was about simplicity and ease of use.
Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't. There's an uncomfortable overlap between We can do this and We should do this. It's powered by an undercurrent of techie hubris that's brought us solutions to problems that do not exist, and may never. I get the feeling that the whole phone-is-key deal is designed to advance the automotive world to a driverless, ownerless future that doesn't exist yet, combined with a big dollop of Silicon Valley Cat in the Hat.
Robin

 

[Runt8]

This thread seems kind a nuts to me.

Does *anybody* use an RFID card key to access a parking lot/ building/ office / parking garage / etc...
How hard is *that* to understand?

Those things are handed out for everything (I have two in my wallet right now), and have been for DECADES. I just don't understand why people think that's so hard when it's the same thing, but for your car.

Tangentially, They have added the ability to 'put away' your card and replace it with your phone. Something that is being done with credit cards, boarding passes, train tickets, baseball games, coupons, membership cards, etc...

Tesla is not doing anything new or different, they're just doing it for the car.

To be fair, the key cards are described as backups and don't provide the expected experience compared to the keyless entry systems in most vehicles these days. I'm perfectly fine with using my smartphone but I can see the frustration from people who don't own one. I hope Tesla provides an optional key fob (even if it costs people $400).

 

[gregincal]

This thread seems kind a nuts to me.

Does *anybody* use an RFID card key to access a parking lot/ building/ office / parking garage / etc...
How hard is *that* to understand?

Those things are handed out for everything (I have two in my wallet right now), and have been for DECADES. I just don't understand why people think that's so hard when it's the same thing, but for your car.

Tangentially, They have added the ability to 'put away' your card and replace it with your phone. Something that is being done with credit cards, boarding passes, train tickets, baseball games, coupons, membership cards, etc...

Tesla is not doing anything new or different, they're just doing it for the car.

The usage is quite different from office building doors. There the card unlocks the door and the second you open the door it relocks. I doubt the car works that way. And you don't "replace" the card with the phone. The phone functionality is totally different than the card functionality.

 

[jhs_7645]

The usage is quite different from office building doors. There the card unlocks the door and the second you open the door it relocks. I doubt the car works that way.

Why is that difference even relevant?

And you don't "replace" the card with the phone. The phone functionality is totally different than the card functionality.

The phone is a 'superset' of functionality, so yes.. it replaces the card key.

 

[gregincal]

Why is that difference even relevant?

Because knowing how to lock your car is important.

 

[jhs_7645]

Because knowing how to lock your car is important.

You own a model S. How do you lock your car? My car locks itself when I walk away, or I can hit the button on the screen from the inside if I'd like. In over four years of ownership I don't think I've ever actually *locked* my car from the outside.

I have, however, had to unlock my car using the app on *several* occasions. So, from what I can see, the model 3 is going to *simplify* my interactions.

UPDATE:
oh... and look here
Tesla Model 3: how the keyless and phone entry works and user manual

Key card – communicates with Model 3 using short range radio-frequency identification (RFID) signals. Allows you to unlock, drive, and lock Model 3 by tapping the key card against a Model 3 RFID transmitter. Note: The key card is necessary to allow, or “authenticate”, a smart phone to work with Model 3. It is also considered a backup key in case your authenticated smart phone runs out of battery power, or is lost or stolen.

 

[brkaus]

@AustinPowers For the first few weeks of owning my Model S, I frequently checked the locked status of the car using the phone app. The app allows checking the locked state w/o walking over to the car and changing the state. The only time I found it unlocked when I didn't expect it to be unlocked is when the kiddo left the car door wide open.

I haven't seen any surprises, so now I just don't worry anymore.

You do have the option to disable the passive unlock on the S/X, requiring a button press. I'm guessing the 3 will have similar where one would have to actively open the app and press a button to unlock.

 

[gregincal]

You own a model S. How do you lock your car? My car locks itself when I walk away, or I can hit the button on the screen from the inside if I'd like. In over four years of ownership I don't think I've ever actually *locked* my car from the outside.

I have, however, had to unlock my car using the app on *several* occasions. So, from what I can see, the model 3 is going to *simplify* my interactions.

UPDATE:
oh... and look here
Tesla Model 3: how the keyless and phone entry works and user manual

Yes, my Model S locks when I walk away with the key fob in my pocket. On the Model 3 walk away door locking only works with a smart phone, not with the key card.

 

[jhs_7645]

Yes, my Model S locks when I walk away with the key fob in my pocket. On the Model 3 walk away door locking only works with a smart phone, not with the key card.

Did you read my post?

You said:

Because knowing how to lock your car is important.

To which I linked to the manual for the keycard:

Key card – communicates with Model 3 using short range radio-frequency identification (RFID) signals. Allows you to unlock, drive, and lock Model 3 by tapping the key card against a Model 3 RFID transmitter. Note: The key card is necessary to allow, or “authenticate”, a smart phone to work with Model 3. It is also considered a backup key in case your authenticated smart phone runs out of battery power, or is lost or stolen.

I bolded the 'and lock' part.

Now you know how to lock your car.

 

[gregincal]

Did you read my post?

You said:

To which I linked to the manual for the keycard:


I bolded the 'and lock' part.

Now you know how to lock your car.

I knew how to lock the car once we got a look at the manual. Before that came out 25 previous years of using RFID cards didn't help me one bit. All I did to start this is point out that the RFID card usage isn't the same as at what you do at work.

 

[jhs_7645]

I knew how to lock the car once we got a look at the manual. Before that came out 25 previous years of using RFID cards didn't help me one bit. All I did to start this is point out that the RFID card usage isn't the same as at what you do at work.

If your claim is that every feature needs to behave exactly the way the 'analog' version of that feature behaved, or that you shouldn't need to consult a manual for proper use, then I don't think we will ever agree with what is 'easy' to understand and what is not.

 

[Blissedout]

I read manuals. My significant other (sex withheld to protect the guilty) does not. I have a dumb phone. My SO has a smart one. I plan to have a Model 3. My SO has a Model S. I think we are in trouble.

 

[ecarfan]

I read manuals. My significant other (sex withheld to protect the guilty) does not. I have a dumb phone. My SO has a smart one. I plan to have a Model 3. My SO has a Model S. I think we are in trouble.

I don't see your problem. You will use the key card to unlock, start, and lock your Model 3. It appears to be pretty simple to do.