Tesla credit card key - who's interested?

[green1]

I wish Tesla had built locking around bluetooth and had designed the car "keyless" from the start... but that's a change needed on the Tesla end, not something we can do.

The app is nice, but I think it's very unfortunate that there is no way to work that without cell services (bluetooth and/or wifi connection between car and phone would be ideal)

 

[Chris TX]

So, today I got my hands on a spare key. Here's the thicknesses of the board and the actual fob. Right now, any credit card fob that uses the unaltered fob circuitry will be at least 8mm thick. There might be a way to relocate the 3axis Premo antenna to the side (along with the battery) which would take it down to just over 5mm. Removing the three buttons would get it down even further to 4.5mm. The goal would be to simply redesign the casing and just drop in the unaltered circuit board. Any component removal or relocation would add complexity (and possibly labor cost) to the fob.

Thoughts?

 

[Anthony7]

No bulky key fob in pocket would be A+! The thing I hate most is the fob. The design is silly.. I would have been okay with a slim fob with 3 basic buttons on it.

 

[AllenWong]

Is it really more reliable than the official Tesla app?

Remote S connects way faster than Tesla's official app. Anyone with both apps can see the difference. In Remote S, all the commands are available to you as soon as the app opens. In the official app, it probably takes 3-5 seconds before the commands appear. Very annoying how the official app works.

So, today I got my hands on a spare key. Here's the thicknesses of the board and the actual fob. Right now, any credit card fob that uses the unaltered fob circuitry will be at least 8mm thick. There might be a way to relocate the 3axis Premo antenna to the side (along with the battery) which would take it down to just over 5mm. Removing the three buttons would get it down even further to 4.5mm. The goal would be to simply redesign the casing and just drop in the unaltered circuit board. Any component removal or relocation would add complexity (and possibly labor cost) to the fob.

Thoughts?

Is it possible to put the circuitry back into the original keyfob without any signs of modifications? I don't want to void any warranties on the keyfob in case it stops working for some reason. Also if you make the case waterproof, you have a sale from me. Might be cool if the case was clear, too, so we see the circuitry inside. Also please leave grooves on the case so I know which end is the back and front, and which buttons are for the frunk and trunk. The frunk and trunk buttons confuse me sometimes when I'm fiddling with it in my pocket.

 

[Khatsalano]

I really don't even want a key for the car. I have a smart phone in my pocket with NFC technology and is networked. With Google Wallet and Apple Pay, I am really trying not to even have to carry a wallet. Somewhere in there is the ability to not carry a key at all. As far as valets go, you can give them a regular key for that occasion.

- K

 

[MileHighMotoring]

What an awesome idea, thanks for taking this on!

 

[green1]

I really don't even want a key for the car. I have a smart phone in my pocket with NFC technology and is networked. With Google Wallet and Apple Pay, I am really trying not to even have to carry a wallet. Somewhere in there is the ability to not carry a key at all. As far as valets go, you can give them a regular key for that occasion.

- K

If only the Tesla used NFC, or even bluetooth, for this purpose. As it is, leaving the fob at home is a huge risk because the app requires both the phone and car to have good cellular connectivity back to Tesla's servers. just not reliable enough. I'd love to see a phone based solution that could work directly to the car instead!

 

[mikeash]

If only the Tesla used NFC, or even bluetooth, for this purpose. As it is, leaving the fob at home is a huge risk because the app requires both the phone and car to have good cellular connectivity back to Tesla's servers. just not reliable enough. I'd love to see a phone based solution that could work directly to the car instead!

Don't forget that Tesla's servers have to actually be up and running, too. A couple of nights ago I needed to get something out of my car and realized I forgot my keys upstairs. I decided I'd just use the app to unlock the car. But oops! It was right in the middle of that recent Tesla service outage. No big deal for me, I just ran back upstairs and grabbed my keys. If I had been out and about relying on the phone to give me access, I'd have been screwed! The ability to unlock and start the car with the phone is a great backup facility, but I'd never want to rely on it.

 

[Chris TX]

Don't forget that Tesla's servers have to actually be up and running, too. A couple of nights ago I needed to get something out of my car and realized I forgot my keys upstairs. I decided I'd just use the app to unlock the car. But oops! It was right in the middle of that recent Tesla service outage. No big deal for me, I just ran back upstairs and grabbed my keys. If I had been out and about relying on the phone to give me access, I'd have been screwed! The ability to unlock and start the car with the phone is a great backup facility, but I'd never want to rely on it.

They are talking about a way for a smartphone to emulate the RFID function of the keyfob, no internet connection needed.

 

[mikeash]

They are talking about a way for a smartphone to emulate the RFID function of the keyfob, no internet connection needed.

I know, but I replied to someone talking about "as it is" and saying how you have to be sure you have coverage, and I wanted to add that it goes beyond that and you can sometimes lose phone access now even if coverage is fine. Basically, I'm just underlining the idea that having a direct car-to-phone solution would be really good.

 

[Pilot_51]

If only the Tesla used NFC, or even bluetooth, for this purpose. As it is, leaving the fob at home is a huge risk because the app requires both the phone and car to have good cellular connectivity back to Tesla's servers. just not reliable enough. I'd love to see a phone based solution that could work directly to the car instead!

The range of NFC is too short to just leave it in your pocket. You'd have to take it out and place it within a few inches of the receiver on the windshield, or some other location where a receiver would need to be installed such as the handle.
NFC is an RFID standard and there are other RFID standards that have greater range, but are not supported by phones. So, for the purpose of supporting a direct phone connection to unlock/drive, Bluetooth is really the only practical option. However, my only concern would be reduced wireless security.

While I'm all for better wireless keys, I personally don't have an issue with the fob. I keep it with my wallet so I don't forget either when I go out. Sometimes it gets in a tight spot in my pocket and I'm afraid of buttons being pressed, though so far that hasn't gone beyond just being an occasional concern.

 

[Chris TX]

Here's a design that would be a direct drop-in of the fob's circuit board, with no modification. I've put the circles on the cover to show where the buttons would be in relation to the original fob. This design would be almost 9.5mm in thickness, which is less than the 17+mm thickness of the original keyfob. There's no easy way to create a super thin fob without seriously hacking or redesigning the board.

EDIT: The outer dimensions are the same as a credit card.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

1/3 " thick? Well done. Might not fit into a wallet per se but that's a nice design.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Integrate that into an iPhone case and I will order one.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

Integrate that into an iPhone case and I will order one.

Great idea but which model? The bestselling phones right now are the Samsung S6, S5, Note 4, Note 3, iPhone 6 Plus, 6, and 5S. You'd really need around 7 models to cover most people's phones. That's a lot of design work for a key fob.

 

[3s-a-charm]

Why do we even need a credit card key - couldn't you just add the NFC credentials to your phone (assuming that the phone supported this)? You can pretty much get away without a key today usint the Tesla app or Remote S app except if you car is no connected to any network.

...or just embed a microchip in my right hand so I can waive and unlock my car!

- - - Updated - - -

Here's a design that would be a direct drop-in of the fob's circuit board, with no modification. I've put the circles on the cover to show where the buttons would be in relation to the original fob. This design would be almost 9.5mm in thickness, which is less than the 17+mm thickness of the original keyfob. There's no easy way to create a super thin fob without seriously hacking or redesigning the board.

EDIT: The outer dimensions are the same as a credit card.
View attachment 84790

Great idea... Just a thought - what about making it look like a mini Supercharger?

 

[green1]

like the concept, but it seems to me that the model shown adds unnecessary width to the fob. No need to artificially make it credit card width if it isn't going to fit in a wallet well anyway. If rather see it as minimal as possible.

 

[Jason]

Chris,
Is this available in STL format - if so, would you share or put it up on Thingiverse

Thanks,
Jason

 

[Chris TX]

Chris,
Is this available in STL format - if so, would you share or put it up on Thingiverse

That's the plan, once I finalize the design. I might just print out the shell in PLA as a prototype, to see how the board fits, and modify if needed.

 

[invisik]

Hi, any update on this one?

I'd love a case with no buttons (I never use them) that could fit in my wallet (even if thicker then a credit card).

Thanks for any info....

-m