Tesla credit card key - who's interested?

[jerry33]

So if I'm reading these posts correctly (and I'm sure someone will set me straight if I'm not), we've really only traded one problem for another.

-- Key fob: Annoying, but when in the proximity of the car, handles autopresent & you can just get in the car and go.

-- Proposed phone bluetooth solution (and btw, I agree with Dave T regarding issues*): No fob to carry, but now need a second form of authentication such as a password entered.

My two cents? No thanks. I'll drop the fob in my purse and not worry about it. If I left my phone behind somewhere or it was out of juice, I might be stranded.

I agree with Bonnie. BT is okay for something that if it doesn't work every time is not a big deal. Based just on the number of times I've had to restart BT on the phone or car, it's far more frequent than one in ten thousand. For sure it's going to need new hardware because the hardware has to support the protocol. It's not just software because otherwise devices would be able to incorporate new BT profiles with just new software. I've yet to see one that has added a profile. I tried BT keyboards and every time they've been a disaster--type two characters and then wait for BT to reconnect. While it would be handy to only carry one device (a phone), it's not likely to happen unless the phone contains some special hardware.

 

[bonnie]

What if you're out and about & your phone has run out of juice? It happens.

Plug it into the Car. :wink:

You mean the car you can't open because your phone is dead?

 

[dsm363]

I think as a secondary access device a phone with something like AppleID in the iPhone would be useful. The point about depending on it as your only key is very valid so you should still have your key fob with you.

 

[pete8314]

You mean the car you can't open because your phone is dead?

Well, then you call your other half to say 'hey, can you open the car so that I can charge my phone to start the car'. Of course, you'd have to do that from a payphone (ew!), and my other half would totally ignore that call, since it's from a weird number!

I can't help thinking that we're over-thinking this. The easiest way for anyone to steal my car is to break into my house or lift the keys out of my pocket, and steal the keys, that's how the vast majority of modern cars are stolen. There's really no protection against that, other than the obvious things of not leaving your keys near the door or in the 'kitchen drawer' and general common sense. I'll bet I'm not the only one that's left their key in the Model S inadvertently as well, and not realizing until I returned to the car and the handles don't auto-present.

Having the option on the phone to enable the car for driving is just that, it's an option. If it's not wanted, then don't enable it. And as for Bluetooth, well, it's far from reliable, as I stand here my phone is connected to a Pebble, a Fuelband and a headset, and most of them work, most of the time. When they don't, normally a quick stop and start of bluetooth on the phone fixes it, but occasionally you have to fiddle with the connected device, which, in the case of the car, will be locked, so again you're back to it being a really cool option, but probably not your only means of entry.

Bluetooth LE is the technology of choice at the moment it seems, but I doubt the car can support that. In an ideal world, Tesla would release a small module that just consists of a power-source and the chip that currently opens the car, and then let other integrate that into whatever...a watch, necklace, ring, bracelet, phone case, injectable module...there's potential for a lot of cool options, but that'll never happen.

 

[bonnie]

In an ideal world, Tesla would release a small module that just consists of a power-source and the chip that currently opens the car, and then let other integrate that into whatever...a watch, necklace, ring, bracelet, phone case, injectable module...there's potential for a lot of cool options, but that'll never happen.

Yes. This ^^^.

IMO, all the rest of the ideas are just begging for trouble. Overthinking? Perhaps. But people are talking about replacing their key fob with an enabled phone. And phones need recharging far more often than a key fob battery needs replacing. It's not being talked about as a backup system, but as a primary system, with no other backup available. If people don't want to carry a key fob, then something JUST AS RELIABLE needs to take its place. Otherwise we're just creating problems.

 

[pete8314]

Yes. This ^^^.

IMO, all the rest of the ideas are just begging for trouble. Overthinking? Perhaps. But people are talking about replacing their key fob with an enabled phone. And phones need recharging far more often than a key fob battery needs replacing. It's not being talked about as a backup system, but as a primary system, with no other backup available. If people don't want to carry a key fob, then something JUST AS RELIABLE needs to take its place. Otherwise we're just creating problems.

True, and the right solution could be something that again sets Tesla apart from the crowd. But the car is a unique proposition...I have electronic locks on my house, but when they act strange with the proximity unlock (and they do), I have options. I can access an app which can unlock them from inside the network. If that doesn't work (dead phone maybe), then I can walk around to the garage and open those doors with the number pad and 4-digit PIN that's probably been shared by our kids with every kid in 6th grade. But with the car, there's no 'back door' if the primary method doesn't work. Right now, the key is the primary, and the phone app is the secondary, at least for getting access, and that's a reasonable approach, so taking the useful guts from the key and putting them into a different wrapper seems like the 'easiest' option, except it's not easy.

 

[EchoDelta]

You mean the car you can't open because your phone is dead?

Lol. Superchargers will then start sporting a USB port that can charge your phone at 200 A.

Back to the topic; I realize there's good reasons to have a tesla- provided, closed tested and self-contained device for opening the door. I personally think a card is a great form factor for such device

 

[digitaltim]

I'd like the car to scan a small passive rfid subcutaneous on the inside of my left wrist....maybe the right wrist too in case I lose the left one; alternately, just scan my fingerprints - Global Entry has them as does IAFIS and others...now that would be Apple-esk.

Let the debating begin...

 

[pete8314]

I'd like the car to scan a small passive rfid subcutaneous on the inside of my left wrist....maybe the right wrist too in case I lose the left one....

You joke (maybe?!), but give it a few years and I think it'll be common place, one touch access & authorization to your car, house, credit card, gun....!

 

[digitaltim]

You joke (maybe?!), but give it a few years and I think it'll be common place, one touch access & authorization to your car, house, credit card, gun....!

No wink in my message...I am convinced "wearables" will go subdermal if not subdural in the not too distance future.

 

[bareyb]

You mean the car you can't open because your phone is dead?

My sense of humor is not always obvious... but there WAS a wink in MY post.

 

[bonnie]

My sense of humor is not always obvious... but there WAS a wink in MY post.

Next time remove your sunglasses.

 

[Tedkidd]

I already have to carry a few other keys, so the current FOB doesn't really bother me. Saying that, I'd rather have the car do Bluetooth LE and accept my phone as a key.

+1. Have the phone be the key.

 

[bareyb]

What if you're out and about & your phone has run out of juice? It happens.

Plug it into the Car. :wink:

You mean the car you can't open because your phone is dead?

My sense of humor is not always obvious... but there WAS a wink in MY post.

Next time remove your sunglasses.

Sunglasses? What am I missing?

 

[lolachampcar]

Has anyone asked Tesla Engineering if there is a card being produced that uses the same entry chip as the fob? If there is, programming becomes the easy part.

 

[Rheazombi]

call me paranoid, but being able to enter the car in the least amount of time possible is my main concern.

Let me see how I feel about these...

● fumbling with a physical key that you have to turn in a lock (terrible)
● card that you swipe (not so great)
● card that just works off of proximity - is this basically just a flat key fob? If you have to take it out of your wallet for it to work and hold it up to the car before it unlocks, then I would say no thanks.
● some weird bluetooth system (very, very bad - standing there waiting for it to authenticate? *shudders* - also my phone is dead more often than not.)
● fingerprint scanning (cool idea, but not so great in terms of time spent. You would need one for every door, plus you should be able to just give someone keys to your car for whatever reason "I'll meet you out there in a sec, just wait in the car")
● key fob that you can press while you are still 5~10 feet away and running towards the car so it's open when you get there. (best solution, IMO)

It would be great if there were options tho, if only in terms of shape and size.

and yes, if you are wondering I have been stalked in parking lots, and another time at 3am had a VERY SCARY guy try opening my door 2 seconds after I closed it (I had already locked it through reflex).

On that note, can the Model S actually lock all the doors the second you get in? Like is there a button in the car itself to do it?

 

[HankLloydRight]

On that note, can the Model S actually lock all the doors the second you get in? Like is there a button in the car itself to do it?

On the touchscreen of course, but I agree -- the removal of every possible button went a little too far. I'd be much happier to have the "glovebox" button on the touchscreen, and have that button location be a simple door LOCK/UNLOCK button. When I want to let someone in the car, I hate having to put it in PARK to present the door handles and then back to DRIVE. I'd really like just a simple, PHYSICAL lock/unlock button.

 

[castor]

Sunglasses? What am I missing?

My cellphone battery doesn't last more than a day so we could carry a portable cellphone charger or a extra battery all the time, that will do it.

 

[bonnie]

My cellphone battery doesn't last more than a day so we could carry a portable cellphone charger or a extra battery all the time, that will do it.

Which, of course, is larger than the key fob everyone is trying to avoid. Nice try!

 

[Tedkidd]

On the touchscreen of course, but I agree -- the removal of every possible button went a little too far. I'd be much happier to have the "glovebox" button on the touchscreen, and have that button location be a simple door LOCK/UNLOCK button. When I want to let someone in the car, I hate having to put it in PARK to present the door handles and then back to DRIVE. I'd really like just a simple, PHYSICAL lock/unlock button.

+1 physical or dedicated lock/unlock button.