Re:How Not to Go Off the Grid
by Scoundreller on Thursday October 13, 2022 @04:18PM
(#33195985)
This hasn’t happened to me, but I would have thought it was your phone over Bluetooth that unlocked the car after you book it.
I don’t 100% know how zipcar operates in each market but I’m guessing these long-distance bookings are pre-booked and you can’t just leave the car in the middle of nowhere.
Your phone and the car would only need to phone home at the start of a reservation.
I guess the car itself doesn’t have cellular at all and relies on the user’s phone? Could easily run into issues where the user has service but the car does not.
Could also see this playing out in underground garages.
It’s unclear why the car needs to phone-home for each unlock/start (but no restrictions on operation) within a reservation within its geo-fence. Common sense would be if the car is where you last dropped it off, it should allow you back in within the time of your reservation.
I don’t 100% know how zipcar operates in each market but I’m guessing these long-distance bookings are pre-booked and you can’t just leave the car in the middle of nowhere.
Your phone and the car would only need to phone home at the start of a reservation.
I guess the car itself doesn’t have cellular at all and relies on the user’s phone? Could easily run into issues where the user has service but the car does not.
Could also see this playing out in underground garages.
It’s unclear why the car needs to phone-home for each unlock/start (but no restrictions on operation) within a reservation within its geo-fence. Common sense would be if the car is where you last dropped it off, it should allow you back in within the time of your reservation.