From the article
> Basically, a phone unlocks the car using a combination of cell service and Bluetooth. So when you're out of cell range it can be difficult to unlock the car.
> They were unable to ping the car because, I don't know, they hadn't updated, or synced, the software in 24 hours.
My understanding is that it works like scooter and bike sharing services, where you have to have an active connection to their servers to use the vehicle. Of course, while it works in the city where there is 3G/4G coverage, it's not going to be efficient in the middle of nowhere where coverage is unlikely... so sometimes convenience (AKA it's just an app) becomes a hindrance. Who's fault is it? (rhetorical question)
The developer's fault. How this is even debatable is beyond me. Completely failed on the UX level.
You unlock the car with your phone over your data connection and not with a key. Losing the data connection is the equivalent of losing the key. You may not like it, I know I don't, but that's the downside of doing it this way (just like it's a downside to have a physical key because you can lose it too).
I have no doubt that the developers warned management of the risk of doing it this way, they accepted the risk.
...i...what...but why...that doesn't even make sense?...
>Gig told us we used our “allotted restarts” of the car
why is this a thing? if i rent a car from enterprise etc, they don't care how many times i start the car up, it's paid by time...just seems like yet another needless over-complication
also i wonder if these cars have similar issues in parking garages where cell reception is less than ideal.