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Today’s it’s mostly smart keys. Tomorrow it will all be driven from your phone. I can’t wait when I never have to carry a key again. This is a stepping stone.

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You want a car that stops working when your phone battery dies?

Of course it will be fail open. The car will unlock when it does not detect the correct cell phone nearby.

It doesn't work that way. iPhones NFC chips are still powered even if the phone battery dies. That's how transit cards work even when the battery is dead.

https://bgr.com/2018/09/18/iphone-xs-vs-iphone-xr-nfc-chip-w...

That's better than nothing, but that doesn't describe "NFC works with dead phone", that describes "phone reserves up to five hours of emergency battery power for only NFC use".

When my current car fob starts displaying a low battery warning I have at minimum weeks to replace the battery. (Not to mention my current car fob is resistant to being dropped, stepped on, etc.)

Then carry a key fob with you. Nobody will stop you.

well Tesla model 3 can be unlocked with your phone and the key is no bigger than a credit card so it is the best of both worlds for me.

Now Ford lets you in your car with a pin code on some and there are suggestions you may be able to start their Mach E EV with just a pin as well.

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