WHY Is It Taking Car Companies SO Long To Get Rid Of Car Keys And SWITCH To Smartphones And Watches?

Lincoln just announced that in 2019, their key moves to an app on your smart phone.

As hard as it is to believe - there are LOTS of people who do not own Smart Phones or smartwatches. Millions of them. ANd they really do not care to spend money for a feature they do not use.

In addition - you cannot intercept the "codes" from a real key. THe manufacturers are going to have a "key" option for a long time.

Yet one more thing that nobody-other than the geek types-has asked for.

Getting rid of the key fob is an answer to a question no one asked. Tying your car to your phone is dumb. What happens if you misplace your phone? Having the option to open your car with an app is fine, but that just makes your car more vulnerable not less so.

There will likely always be a backup. In the case of the Model 3, you get 2 NFC credit-card sized keys that will unlock and let you drive the car. Just keep them in your wallet. Other upside is if you loose the NFC card, a replacement is $10 versus $250+ for a key fob.

Hmm. A) EVERYONE who is a buyer for this GLE or any other car with this new feature (re expensive high 5 and 6 figure luxury rides) owns a smartphone. B) You can call them "geek" types if it makes you feel better, but this feature is now becoming a "thing" and it is very likely that all cars in the luxury segment will have it at some point. Key fobs are getting so big now they are ridiculous. Adaptation is a key skill to succeed in changing times, just roll with it.

@FAQMD you have to cut @CC some slack. He's a victim of a cult run by Justin Trudeau, Fidel Castro's bastard love child with a drug-addicted whore. He's also a sponge for the mutterings of the illogical, asinine, and entitled dimwits here who are incapable of coherent thought. He's a good guy in rare moments of coherence, but they are happening less and less frequently these days. #pity

Absolutely agree.

@MD I a guess a "smart key" will not only be far more expensive than you would think but will also take ages to replace if it is damaged or lost.

I see no reason to get rid of key fobs...Feels like change for the sake of change...Just give people the option to open it with their smart phone

The Tesla credit card feels very silly

As hard as it is to believe - there are LOTS of people who do not own Smart Phones or smartwatches. Millions of them.
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Those people will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century, and then eventually the 21st.

I agree with TomM. We should dumb down to the lowest common denominator so that no one is left out. In fact, what about the people who have only land lines? Oh wait, what about the people who...

@FAQMD I still have a landline at the ranch for an exceedingly simple reason. In the event of an emergency (earthquake/fires/flood where I live) cell access will likely be blocked or most definitely throttled if it functions because emergency response use cell towers too. All the snowflake ninnies have to be communicating so the cell towers get jammed. Providers simply cut people off in favor of emergency traffic. Landlines will be completely unaffected AND they are also unaffected in a power outage. Moreover did you know that you can charge your cell phone from the landline jack?

First - eliminating all the people who do not have smart phones is leaving a huge market behind - since those are the older people who actually have money to buy the cars. THey will buy a smart phone when it can do something they want. ANd they are not as likely to be constantly on the phone as younger folks are.

Second - a smart phone is Inconvenient for me - they don't fit into my pants pocket - or most shirt pockets. TOO BIG Although I have several - I take my trusty old Flip Phone with me on vacations - since that will fit into my pockets. When they make a smart phone that can FOLD into a pocket size space - I will be first in line. ANd compared to a key - even a current one - they are far more expensive.

Third - what happens when you have to leave your car? For Parking - for Service - loan to another person - do you need to have a SPARE SMART PHONE for their use and will it be there when you get back?

I'm old school. I like keys, dipsticks and manual transmissions...

I'll take the key fob every time -- it also handles my house keys and my grocery cards. Smartphones are a total waste and cost too much. My mobile phone bill is $25, which includes unlimited texting.

You're definitely in the laggard column when it comes to tech adoption. I don't even have house keys anymore, everything has been digitized and can centrally be controlled with a smartphone or watch. Why carry around crap you don't need? I love the Model S "toy car" fob, but would gladly replace it with the phone I carry around always anyway.

And exactly what happens when you leave your car for service, or perhaps with a valet? No way I'm leaving them my phone. There has to be an alternate ability to start and drive the car. If my son-in-law wants to borrow the pickup, I'm not giving him my phone so he can drive it.

I'm sure the guy who is working for Elon temporarily will have an answer.