How Not to Go Off the Grid

Re:How Not to Go Off the Grid by diebeforei485 on Thursday October 13, 2022 @08:12PM (#33198168)

Zipcar sent me a "zipcard" (a credit card sized card with an RFID chip) that I keep in my wallet. I find app unlock to be convenient but it doesn't work everywhere.

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Re:How Not to Go Off the Grid by cammikebrown on Thursday October 13, 2022 @08:16PM (#33198196)

The article mentions the cards wouldn’t work, either.

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Re:How Not to Go Off the Grid by diebeforei485 on Tuesday October 18, 2022 @12:02PM (#33249480)

My experience having used Zipcar for 7+ years is that if you hold the card up to the reader for ~15 seconds, it unlocks even in areas with no connection.

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Re:How Not to Go Off the Grid by willnonya on Thursday October 13, 2022 @08:26PM (#33198266)

I generally find using an app to unlock a car less convenient than a key.

I think the use cases where the reverse seems true are pretty subjective at best. Or maybe I just grew up before cell phones ruled the world...

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Re:How Not to Go Off the Grid by dieselgate on Thursday October 13, 2022 @10:46PM (#33199082)

I agree with you completely. It seems likely companies prefer app lock/unlock because it scales better, faster, cheaper. car shares are advertised as “download the app then drive”

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Re:How Not to Go Off the Grid by diebeforei485 on Tuesday October 18, 2022 @12:00PM (#33249465)

For distributed rental cars this creates a key collect and return problem. The whole point of zipcar is cars in your neighborhood that you can book, walk to, unlock, and go.

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