Two Canadian Tesla drivers found themselves in a startling mix-up after their apps allowed them to mistakenly enter and take off in each other’s look-alike cars, according to a report.
Randev said he was able to get into the wrong car through the Tesla app.Global News
This is certainly a serious issue. Hopefully Tesla will investigate and reply.
But there does seem to be some unclear wording in the news report.
Normally you don’t “use the app” to unlock and drive a Tesla. You use your phone, but you don’t need to open and run the app. The phone’s Bluetooth signal is the “key” used by the car. You just carry the phone in your hand, pocket or purse and open the door, get in and drive. After you’ve paired your phone you could delete the app and it is still a key. (You don’t want to do this, of course, because you want your app installed to get notifications, such as car charging is complete or you accidentally left the windows or door open)
Now you can “use the app” to drive. You open the app and go to the controls tab and can do things from anywhere via cellular connection and/or the internet such as open the trunk, unlock the doors, flash the lights and honk the horn. You can use this to let someone get a package out of your trunk, for example. You can also unlock the door and “start” the car to allow them to drive away without a “key” of any kind being physically present. This might be useful if an authorized second driver lost their key and calls the owner who can let them in to drive home.
In this situation, if both of the drivers arrived at the wrong car at about the same time and “used the app” to unlock (step 1) and start (step 2) the car this would explain what happened. Seems very unlikely to me.
Note: you can also use an RFID key card to tap next to the driver door to unlock and drive or a conventional key fob (need to purchase these)
Mike