What happens when 3G is gone?

[P100D_Me]

Not sure how this will affect the rest of the world but here in Australia the 3G network our Tesla's are using is being switched off in 2024. I know that is five years away but many of these 3G only cars will still be around then.
If there is no 4G upgrade option (or it is too expensive) what will stop working in these older cars? Obviously streaming music services and web browsing but what about the Sat Nav? I assume that would still work as it could update maps over WiFi and would you just miss out on live traffic map colouring?

 

[hpartsch]

Not sure how this will affect the rest of the world but here in Australia the 3G network our Tesla's are using is being switched off in 2024. I know that is five years away but many of these 3G only cars will still be around then.
If there is no 4G upgrade option (or it is too expensive) what will stop working in these older cars? Obviously streaming music services and web browsing but what about the Sat Nav? I assume that would still work as it could update maps over WiFi and would you just miss out on live traffic map colouring?

Your MCU will die by then and you will get LTE with the new MCU.

 

[SSedan]

Here in the USA LTE upgrade is reasonably priced for more than a year now.

 

[Obsoletion]

My 2014 with MCU1 had 3g only and when the LTE became available in 2015 or 2016 I took it in for another service item and asked if they could change the 3g module in the MCU for an LTE module. They quoted me $500 to do it but when I got it back they ended up not charging me at all because it took them a couple of extra days to get the part. They use to do a lot more goodwill items like that before (the cars cost more then too)

I *assume* they can still do that. Or, get a wifi hotspot

 

[rsg123]

I got the LTE upgrade but I still end up hotspotting to my phone since it gets much better reception on my commute route. By 2024 your car will probably be so old you wouldn’t want to spend $500 upgrading to 4G.

 

[whitex]

Here in the USA LTE upgrade is reasonably priced for more than a year now.

It's been available since LTE came out. I upgraded few years ago (IIRC in 2016).

 

[BigNick]

By 2024 5G should be ubiquitous and we will want to upgrade from 4G LTE to that.

 

[SSedan]

I want to say the price dropped to under $300

 

[David_Cary]

Well my 2013 Leaf had 2G. It got shut off a couple of years ago. I think it was $250 or so to upgrade and I didn't bother.
The only consequence was not pre cooling or heating. A bummer but wasn't worth it for us in a mild climate with a garage. And a Tesla as our primary car....
We sold it since then to get a 2nd Tesla.
I have a 2015 S built 2 weeks before the LTE changover. If 2024 is the time in the US, that will be a 9 year old car. By its trajectory now, it will be worth the changeover - but hard to predict.
I didn't think a MCU changeover would change the modem...
If under $300 for LTE, I will do it when I am in the SC for something else ---- if that ever happens.

 

[Sluggabed]

If it's anything like the roll-out of the NBN I'd say they'll have to rollback that date. Nothings ever done on time in this country.

 

[Kiwiadventure]

Doesn't matter 3g is turned off in Australia as generally Australian phone coverage is rubbish.

 

[Simon_Emes]

Just Hotspot l with your phone.

 

[P100D_Me]

I wasn't aware a module could be swapped out, that sounds too simple.

 

[kapone]

I wasn't aware a module could be swapped out, that sounds too simple.

It is. If you've ever worked with computers and hardware...it's no different than swapping in a different add-in card for a laptop.

And a Tesla is a computer on/with wheels....

Most of the cost is labor to actually replace it. The cost of the actual component is peanuts.

 

[P100D_Me]

I assume getting the MCU out is a task and a half though?

 

[Shock-On-T]

I want to say the price dropped to under $300

Go ahead, say it.