Will we have to leave Bluetooth on all the time on our phones?

[Zaphod]

My question is how do you open the frunk or trunk with just the keycard? Tap the card on the Tesla emblem? Don't believe it has been mentioned.

 

[dsvick]

I'm not sure why people would complain about something that has an alternative that should surely meet their needs.

Because, in some cases, neither solution meets the needs. In my case I do not take my phone with me when I go on a trail run. The only alternative now would be to put the keycard in the pocket of my shorts (assuming it fits) and hope that if/when I fall I don't snap it in half. And that if/when I do snap it in half it continues to function. With a key fob, it might be, literally, a pain in the ass if you fall, but there is little danger of actually breaking it.

 

[dsvick]

My question is how do you open the frunk or trunk with just the keycard? Tap the card on the Tesla emblem? Don't believe it has been mentioned.

I wondered that as well. Hopefully it will be that easy, if not that, then at least let us tap it in the normal unlock location on the B pillar, and have a button on the trunk to release it. I'm hoping that is how it'll work with the phone, once you get close it will let you open the trunk by pressing a button on it (on the trunk, not the phone).

 

[jhs_7645]

Because, in some cases, neither solution meets the needs. In my case I do not take my phone with me when I go on a trail run. The only alternative now would be to put the keycard in the pocket of my shorts (assuming it fits) and hope that if/when I fall I don't snap it in half. And that if/when I do snap it in half it continues to function. With a key fob, it might be, literally, a pain in the ass if you fall, but there is little danger of actually breaking it.

If the key card is made of the same material as every other key card I have used over the years, there is near zero chance of you 'snapping it in half' when you fall. They are *far more* durable than the key fobs that come with cars.

And.. to keep piling on... (assuming the key card is like every other key card I've ever used)
1) the card is going to be the size of a credit card --
2) a credit card is more comfortable to run with in your pocket than a key fob that bounces against your leg constantly (SUPER annoying).
3) They don't require batteries
4) Even in the super unlikely scenario that it snaps in half, it will probably still work.

And.. another update to my post:
Bonnie Norman on Twitter

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Bluetooth LE doesn't really use much battery at all if you're not actively using it. I leave it on at all times, so that when I sit in the car, it connects automatically.

I do have a newer phone, though, FWIW. Most smartphone batteries these days start to degrade within 2 years....so that you have to buy a new one.

 

[Runt8]

My question is how do you open the frunk or trunk with just the keycard? Tap the card on the Tesla emblem? Don't believe it has been mentioned.

I am interested in this as well. I hope that there is at least NFC built into it (as opposed to having to open the Tesla app or use the center screen). This would leave open the possibility (with Apple opening up NFC access more and more) that I could just wave my watch over the Tesla emblem to open it.

 

[AustinPowers]

I don't need to phone or message people all the time either, but I also don't know when they'll need to get a hold of me, which is one of the reasons it's there with me all the time. That's probably my single biggest frustration with one of my parents. They treat their smart phone like a 1-way calling device, meaning they only have it when they want to call someone, but it's impossible to reach them otherwise. And it's not because they don't want to have it in a bag with them, it's simply because they don't think of the device as anything more than a phone.

In your other message you mention carrying a wallet and keys, but how long do you think we'll even need to lug around a wallet? Other than carrying around my driver's license, I could likely get away with no wallet most days using Android Pay, google wallet, etc.

I am like T34ME - as well as your parents obviously - in that respect, even though I am not that old at 40 I suppose .
To me, a smartphone is a "necessary evil" nowadays. If it wasn't for people who might want to reach me, I might not even have one at all. I mean, I got along just fine for more than three quarters of my life up to now, so I am sure I could continue without one.

As for carrying a wallet and keys, that will stay like this for a long time. The keys especially won't be replaced by anything else in the foreseeable future, as I don't intend to change from mechanical locks on the doors of our house (or that of my parents) to some electronic contraption. Too expensive, unsafe, and uncomfortable to use. I've even looked into it a bit, but none of the solutions available offered any advantage to me, plus independent tests showed that it was dead easy for hackers to compromise the system and gain entry into any house "protected" by such a system. No one over here, apart from a tiny minority of tech nerds, has such devices. Most people over here live in rented flats/houses, and those traditionally have physical keys anyway.
And don't underestimate the German tendency to pay everything in cash while shopping*. Even if I myself like to use card payments as much as possible, there are plenty of places/situations where you definitely still need cash over here. And that doesn't seem to be changing either.

So with regards to the Model 3, I intend to use the keycard, as I will have it in my wallet together with all my other cards.

<0fftopic> *I find it funny by the way that Americans like to pay by card almost everywhere, yet they still use something as outdated as checks for lots of payments. We over here use online banking and (instant) money transfer as well as standing orders for almost all our regular payments like rent, wages, bills, monthly debits for loans, utilities, etc. Checks have been almost totally phased out for about two decades. </0fftopic>

 

[AustinPowers]

I am interested in this as well. I hope that there is at least NFC built into it (as opposed to having to open the Tesla app or use the center screen). This would leave open the possibility (with Apple opening up NFC access more and more) that I could just wave my watch over the Tesla emblem to open it.

Most modern cars offer the option to swipe your foot under the rear bumper to open the boot/trunk as long as you have the keyfob on you. Very handy that, especially when you are carrying your shopping while it's raining, and you want to put the stuff into the boot/trunk as quickly as possible, yet don't have a free hand to press some button on a fob (or smartphone).

 

[Runt8]

Most modern cars offer the option to swipe your foot under the rear bumper to open the boot/trunk as long as you have the keyfob on you. Very handy that, especially when you are carrying your shopping while it's raining, and you want to put the stuff into the boot/trunk as quickly as possible, yet don't have a free hand to press some button on a fob (or smartphone).

I'd be perfectly ok with something like this also. I've heard that they put hooks in the frunk to hold grocery bags, so it seems like there has to be a way to open it without fiddling with an app.

 

[Zaphod]

Most modern cars offer the option to swipe your foot under the rear bumper to open the boot/trunk as long as you have the keyfob on you. Very handy that, especially when you are carrying your shopping while it's raining, and you want to put the stuff into the boot/trunk as quickly as possible, yet don't have a free hand to press some button on a fob (or smartphone).

My wife's Ford Explorer has that feature. She can never get it to work. I usually kick my foot under the bumper too much and either hit the tow hitch or something else. More of a pain (maybe literally) than helpful for us anyways. I just push the button inside the handle on the hatch. Just as quick and works every time.

I guess the 3 trunk could have this feature, but the frunk would be awkward. Front end is much closer to the ground than the rear, so can't imagine having to get your foot under there would be good idea.

 

[gregincal]

I would guess that the trunk will have a normal button to open it just like the S. The frunk is trickier. You may have to either use the app (although the current app doesn't actually allow you to open the frunk on the S) or reach inside and open it using the center screen.

 

[WhiskySTL]

Most modern cars offer the option to swipe your foot under the rear bumper to open the boot/trunk as long as you have the keyfob on you. Very handy that, especially when you are carrying your shopping while it's raining, and you want to put the stuff into the boot/trunk as quickly as possible, yet don't have a free hand to press some button on a fob (or smartphone).

I thought, "most modern cars"?? Then I saw your location and your avatar, and that explained it. My BMW does have this (optional feature = "comfort access"), but I've yet to encounter it on another car.

 

[WhiskySTL]

My wife's Ford Explorer has that feature. She can never get it to work. I usually kick my foot under the bumper too much and either hit the tow hitch or something else. More of a pain (maybe literally) than helpful for us anyways. I just push the button inside the handle on the hatch. Just as quick and works every time.

There's definitely a learning curve... It takes a bit of practice before you feel like you can risk it in public without looking like a wacko. I use it regularly on mine, now, but it took me a bit.

As for pushing the button, the primary use case is really for someone with his/her hands full.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Most modern cars offer the option to swipe your foot under the rear bumper to open the boot/trunk as long as you have the keyfob on you. Very handy that, especially when you are carrying your shopping while it's raining, and you want to put the stuff into the boot/trunk as quickly as possible, yet don't have a free hand to press some button on a fob (or smartphone).

Likely won't see that here. Tesla has gone out of their way to tell us it's a "manual trunk".

 

[K-MTG]

The updated Tesla app wants to use our location all the time. Take a look at the app explanation:

 

[SageBrush]

- In my case (and I understand you are different) the smartphone is a secondary device, not that important in my life, and it is something I don't have with me all the time. My Prius key fob is always in my pocket and I never need to access it. What happens if the battery dies in my key fob? First, I get a notice n the U.I. that the battery is low and to replace it 'now.' Second, there is a unique physical key inconspicuous in the fob that I can pull out and physically unlock the car if I ignore the warning (and in 5 years, I've never used it once).

I'm like you -- I sometimes remember to carry a phone, but mostly only if my wife reminds me or puts it in my pouch. Honestly though, I'm resigned to keeping the phone with me; its the keeping it charged part I'm worried about.

 

[K-MTG]

Model 3 Mobile App Screenshots - Repost from Model 3 Owner Club: Model 3 Owner

 

[AustinPowers]

I just push the button inside the handle on the hatch. Just as quick and works every time.

Not in the scenario I described: you are coming out of the store, groceries, bags, boxes or whatever in both hands, no free hand unless you first put down some stuff. Ideally no problem, but like I said, imagine it's pouring with rain, everything is soaking wet, where do you put your stuff down? With such a feature, you just swipe your foot under the bumper, the boot/trunk opens, you store your shopping, close the lid, get into the car and drive away.
I haven't got that feature on my car, but I have experienced plenty of situations where I would have been so glad I if I had had it.

I thought, "most modern cars"?? Then I saw your location and your avatar, and that explained it. My BMW does have this (optional feature = "comfort access"), but I've yet to encounter it on another car.

Over here, you can get this as an optional extra on many vehicles from various manufacturers. Perhaps "most" was too strong a word, but it is definitely getting more common every year.

 

[Winston]

For anyone interested, the short-term confidentiality on Tesla's "B-pillar Endpoint" expired recently, so photos of the unit and an excerpt from the manual is now available from the FCC.

OET List Exhibits Report

It has a TI CC2640R2F which is a Bluetooth 5 capable chip. CC2640R2F SimpleLink™ Bluetooth® low energy Wireless MCU | TI.com

 

[davedavedave]

Get remote s. Works fine.

It's actually incredibly trivial just to support the BTLE capabilities to unlock and authorize on proximity - an app that you'd only have to open once just to register your device with the car. I can't imagine

For anyone interested, the short-term confidentiality on Tesla's "B-pillar Endpoint" expired recently, so photos of the unit and an excerpt from the manual is now available from the FCC.

OET List Exhibits Report

It has a TI CC2640R2F which is a Bluetooth 5 capable chip. CC2640R2F SimpleLink™ Bluetooth® low energy Wireless MCU | TI.com

Awesome!

I did notice a few glaring grammatical errors in the manual though. E.g., it should be "Authorizing" a smart phone instead of "Authenticating" in most of the references therein.