- The Model 3 key fob is finally here,
something we've been asking for
for a long time as Model 3 owners
but is it really worth it?
(upbeat music)
With the Model 3, Tesla took a new approach,
as many of you know, by creating
a phone key that you can use to unlock your car.
So when you get your Model 3,
maybe you know this, you set up your phone
as the key itself and then any time
you walk up to your car, it automatically unlocks.
When you walk away, it automatically locks
and when driving there's no key
or button to push or anything, it just automatically works.
And when this works, it's a beautiful thing,
you don't have any extra key to carry around,
there's no buttons to press, it just automatically
works as you would imagine it should.
And if your phone isn't working for some reason
you have a key card that you can use
to lock, unlock and drive the vehicle.
But the challenge here is that there are
thousands of different phones out there
with tons of different operating systems
and versions of those operating systems
for Tesla to try to work with.
No, not all Tesla users are iPhone users as well,
shocking, I know.
And pretty much since people started
taking ownership of their Model 3's
they've been complaining about the phones
not working perfectly.
For my family, we took ownership
of our Model 3 a year ago in January
and pretty much since them we've had
kind of spotty connectivity with the phone
even today, even a year later.
Now I have a late model Samsung Galaxy Android phone
and my wife has the latest iPhone.
I think it's not the latest anymore
but it was at the time and even from
the early days, there were kind of issues with it.
So, it doesn't appear to be tied
directly to one phone, one manufacturer
or one operating system.
So it's a problem, one that could be
easily solved by adding a key fob
just like they have for the Model S and Model X.
And in November of 2018, they did just that,
selling out almost instantly.
I was one of the lucky ones able to
receive a key fob for my Model 3.
However, after using it for just a week
I'm not really sure how lucky I am.
Now the key fob itself is identical
to the Model S key fob and offers
a couple of simple functions.
With a double click of the roof on it
you can unlock the car and with a
single click you can lock the car.
So great, problem solved, right?
Unfortunately not.
The issue is that the key fob doesn't support
passive entry, meaning you have to click
to unlock the car and if you're carrying
something in your hand, it is definitely
less convenient than your phone.
And when you walk away, you have to click again
otherwise, like the key card, you leave
the vehicle completely open to anyone passing by.
So the only real advantage I see here
is that you can attach the key fob
to a key chain, a bit easier even though
they actually don't even give you
anything to do that with when you order it.
And it costs $150 so I don't really think
I can recommend this currently.
Now people have speculated, and currently
that's not true but it may come true,
that the reason this new key fob
doesn't support the passive entry and exit,
meaning when you walk up to the car
it automatically unlocks and when you walk away
it automatically locks, like the Model S, Model X,
is because they didn't have the pin
to drive feature built into the vehicle's
security system yet.
So the way the pin to drive feature works
is when you get in the vehicle and you
tap on the break, which is how you enable it,
how you start the car essentially
and you want to go into drive, reverse,
you have to actually enter a pin code
just like you would on a phone, let's say.
And so this, while kind of funny when valet
calls you trying to figure it out,
will enable an extra layer of security
that, even if someone was able to get
into your vehicle, they wouldn't be able to steal it.
Which is really great because we've seen
a sort of string of these with the Model S
that people didn't have this feature enabled
and they were able to clone the key fob
and then drive away with the vehicle
meaning they could steal it without
the owner having any recourse there to get it back.
So in the future I hope and think
Tesla could certainly add the passive
entry, exit feature to the key fob,
at which time I think it would be
pretty valuable, I would certainly use it.
But currently, it's mostly for my
son to play with on his Hot Wheels set.
But let me know what you think,
would you pay 150 bucks for this?
Do you have one now?
And are you using it?
What has your experience been like?
I'm very hopeful that they will
fix this in the future but until then
we'll have to wait and see.
So let me know what you think
in the comments down below, I'd love to hear from you.
And don't forget, when you free the data
your mind will follow.
I'll see you back here in the next one.