[Nai3t]

You talking Tesla-style, phone in the pocket?

Or app-style, open Car-Net, fingerprint, fingerprint, "Unlock," fingerprint, wait 10 to 30 seconds, car unlocks?

I think we'll get an app unlock later next year.

 

[Nai3t]

And Tesla just had a network outage event recently that left many owners stuck when they were unable to use their phones to get into their cars and drive where they needed to go.

That sounds weird that a network connection would be required for that sort of direct access.

"If properly set up, the phone can also connect directly to the car without going through the Internet server. But drivers who relied solely on the app using an Internet connection were stuck"

So it sounds as though their "app to unlock" went down, but not their "phone as a key" functionality.

Phone glitch leaves some Tesla drivers locked out

One of the perks of owning a Tesla is using your smartphone as a key to open and drive your car. It does away with carrying a separate key fob in your pocket.

www.cnn.com

 

[Nai3t]

I'd prefer an NFC reader somewhere on the car door. Don't have your key handy? Tap your phone. No need for data networks.

That's how Tesla's system works, except they use Bluetooth, not NFC, so no need to present the phone to a reader. But regardless, no network connection is required.

 

[Nai3t]

Tesla key card does use NFC on the drivers B pillar.

I assume that also doesn't require an active network connection?

 

[Nai3t]

The article I linked said they hadn't properly configured their phones, they it was only a small percentage of owners. I'm guessing it was more akin to Car-Net going down, then got misreported.