Why are people relying on the phone key as the only key for their car? What happens if you break your phone? Now you can't drive home?

Stupid. Always carry the real key with you.

and more commonly, what happens when your phone runs out of battery?

I thought Model 3s didn't have keys.

They come with NFC credit cards

True, but there is still no physical way to turn the car on. Teslas rely on wireless communication to turn on. That seems like a poor design to me.

So what you're saying is that keyless start mechanisms (also wireless btw) in modern cars today are also poor design?

Even if the keyfobs on the S/X run out of battery, they can still be used to unlock and start the car. Just like the keycard on the Model 3 (NFC based no battery needed): https://youtu.be/0J1VbeDfQmg?t=24

Most keyless start systems have a backup physical key[1] hidden inside the remote fob and will use very short range RFID [2] similar to older physical turn keys and their immobiliser chips to authenticate with the car ECU and allow the engine to start.

[1] https://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2016/03/21/20/42/pic...

[2] https://www.mazda3revolution.com/threads/if-the-battery-in-t...

I'm aware of this as I have owned cars with this feature. Modern cars do not use the physical key to "start". It's mostly only to open the driver side door.

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BttKQ6K-Y74

RFID/NFC is used to actually start the car like you pointed out.

On all current Tesla cars, they fobs and keycards can both unlock and start the car, making a physical key pointless.

Any car that relies solely on wireless communication to start isn’t well thought out.

> Any car that relies solely on wireless communication to start isn’t well thought out.

But this is not the case not just for Tesla but for most modern cars today. Not sure why you keep insisting this.

There is a backup method for modern electronic keyfobs (incuding Tesla cars) where you place it in a designated spot to start the car:

BMW: https://youtu.be/BttKQ6K-Y74?t=70

Lexus: https://youtu.be/9S8fm8UE9T8?t=57

Nissan: https://youtu.be/lV_HLwlOS-8?t=54

Audi: https://youtu.be/4gq4L9IQO7U?t=85

Tesla S/X: https://youtu.be/0J1VbeDfQmg?t=64

Tesla Model 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxCgtXEMVY

As you can see, it's not solely "wireless". In the Model 3 this is the default behavior. For both unlocking and starting if using the keycard.

If you can design a better system than the rest of the engineers in the auto industry combined, lets hear your idea.

Once I left my house key at home. “No big deal,” I thought, “I can get in through the garage.” I got home and the power was out. I was locked out. If I’m understanding the logic, that means PG&E left me stranded.

I've have seen two articles like these within the last hour. They are straight up clickbait. You do NOT need the app to unlock or operate these cars. The Model S/X have regular keyfobs and the 3 has a keycard.

Just to be clear app didnt stop working only the backend service had a downtime close to 2 hrs. During this time i was able to still use phone as a key. Only things that rely on backend service wouldnt work, like remotely unlocking you car from different country for whatever reason.

This is why you should buy a car made by a car company, not by a tech company.

Eg: my car has two separate keyless methods (BT & nfc) implemented in the same keyfob, and if need be, it can also be physically inserted into a special hole (we call them keyholes) to physically unlock the car even if both car and key have no power!

People could actually die of exposure if locked out of their cars in some climates. This is not a joke!

Tesla’s do come with a key, it’s a card that you’re supposed to carry with you and it always works.

The phone app is a convenience feature. Although it works flawlessly 99% of the time, you should not rely solely on it

IIRC the card is still electronics which means that it will not work if there is no power or a failure in the electronics

If your electric car doesn't have any power then you have bigger problems than not being able to get inside it.

Such as? Car is enclosed so I shall not die of exposure in there by the time help arrives. I shall die outside when it is minus 30 Celsius and windy

Depends on what your problem is.

> IIRC the card is still electronics which means that it will not work if there is no power or a failure in electronics

Same with any modern car with a keyfob.. Hello?

Most fobs include a physical key. I can tell you Corvette and BMW 3 series do

> Most fobs include a physical key. I can tell you Corvette and BMW 3 series do

Only to open the driver side door. You still need the fob in close proximity at a designated spot to start the car. With Tesla cars there's no need for a physical key both for unlocking and starting.

So much ignorance in this post. You do realize Tesla engineers and designers all came fro other car manufacturers right? Even down do the audio folks who came from Bang & Olufsen.