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Additional anti-theft measures? (PINs etc.)

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About the shutting down a stolen car remotely ... It could be a gradual speed reduction limit, combined with an acceleration inhibitor, i.e. 60 ... 59 ... 58 ... 57 mph and so on at a rate of a few mph pr second. And if it slows faster than that, then that would be the new limit speed. Shut down to 0 mph or leave it at - say - 10 mph, to allow the car to be driven to the curb or otherwise into safety.

That, and a lockdown timeframe as suggested previously, i.e. "don't start until 7am or later (unless pin code is entered)"

Next thing up, put a fingerprint reader in like the one on iPhone 5S, also optional. In that case, require

1) FOB in car 2) fingerprint read correctly 3) weight in seat

before the car will go.

If I was living in a really bad area, I might be happy to have an option as well to enter a pin-code every time. Combine that with TWO pin codes:

1) Normal pincode - normal operations

2) "hijack pincode" - seemingly normal operations until predefined timeframe / distance, then shutdown.

That way, even at gunpoint, FOP and the owner typing in pin code would let the car go - but only for so long, then a total lockdown and "Call momma Tesla for help!"
 
Sheesh. It's a car. Not Fort Knox. How about: Keep key in pocket, sit in driver's seat, and shift into Drive?

No need to make everyone's life more difficult using the car just because of 1 car thief. I agree that the "bring car to a stop slowly" approach is a good one, but there's no need for fingerprinting, retina scanning, PIN codes, or facial recognition to drive the darn thing!
 
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About the shutting down a stolen car remotely ... It could be a gradual speed reduction limit, combined with an acceleration inhibitor, i.e. 60 ... 59 ... 58 ... 57 mph and so on at a rate of a few mph pr second. And if it slows faster than that, then that would be the new limit speed. Shut down to 0 mph or leave it at - say - 10 mph, to allow the car to be driven to the curb or otherwise into safety.

That, and a lockdown timeframe as suggested previously, i.e. "don't start until 7am or later (unless pin code is entered)"

Next thing up, put a fingerprint reader in like the one on iPhone 5S, also optional. In that case, require

1) FOB in car 2) fingerprint read correctly 3) weight in seat

before the car will go.

If I was living in a really bad area, I might be happy to have an option as well to enter a pin-code every time. Combine that with TWO pin codes:

1) Normal pincode - normal operations

2) "hijack pincode" - seemingly normal operations until predefined timeframe / distance, then shutdown.

That way, even at gunpoint, FOP and the owner typing in pin code would let the car go - but only for so long, then a total lockdown and "Call momma Tesla for help!"

Sorry, but IMO those ideas are too impractical for normal car - better solution IMO is that if owner report car as stolen, Tesla would send a signal to the car that would stop the motor and car would slowly stop useing regen braking + turn on emergency lights + force enable GPS tracking. This option could be either opt-in or opt-out.

If someone want even more security for really dangerous places, they can get such featues from 3rd parties - bulletproof glass, tear gas, kidnap mode etc.
 
Sheesh. It's a car. Not Fort Knox. How about: Keep key in pocket, sit in driver's seat, and shift into Drive?

No need to make everyone's life more difficult using the car just because of 1 car thief. I agree that the "bring car to a stop slowly" approach is a good one, but there's no need for fingerprinting, retina scanning, PIN codes, or facial recognition to drive the darn thing!


Thank you for bringing some sense in here. DNA samples, dental impressions? Calm down guys, it's a tool for transportation.
 
Why? Why does this change anything?

If Tesla works like many other Agile IT shops, which I believe they do based on some other discussion, then they have a prioritized backlog of items to work on. I would not be surprised to find out that this feature was currently on that backlog but had a lower priority. As stated by other, this is a feature that other cars have so to implement in the Model S is not surprising.

Based on this incident, I wouldn't be surprised if a decision is made to move this item up in priority to prevent another incident like this from happening in the future. Granted it's only one incident but it is a pretty extreme one. Though it really depends on the fall out from the incident. This is mixed good (safety?) and bad (stolen) press right now. Moving this up in priority and rolling out the feature in a short time adds to Tesla credibility regarding being able to quickly upgrade the car via software changes remotely; in this case it would be with an anti-theft upgrade, more good press.

Just to clarify, I am referencing a software change to limit speed or stop the car in the event that is stolen. I personally would not want to enter a code, or other security measure, to drive the car.
 
I'm reasonably certain that Tesla has the ability to track and shut down any Model S as long as it has a data connection, loaner or not, mobile access enabled or not. I believe they can even change the settings remotely (as hinted by my DS), which should include the speed limiter.

Pilot_51, In March '14 I asked and Ownership answered, Tesla does not have the ability to shutdown or disable a MS. I asked specifically if when one was stolen, and they said police should be contacted. But they said, because I asked they said they would file my inquiry as a feature for future consideration.

- - - Updated - - -

Sheesh. It's a car. Not Fort Knox. How about: Keep key in pocket, sit in driver's seat, and shift into Drive?

No need to make everyone's life more difficult using the car just because of 1 car thief. I agree that the "bring car to a stop slowly" approach is a good one, but there's no need for fingerprinting, retina scanning, PIN codes, or facial recognition to drive the darn thing!

Todd Burch ++++1 Finally! - common sense.
 
If people wanted to have the option of PIN access to start car in addition to key fob then I don't see anything wrong with that as long as it was optional. Also, Tesla could implement it on their demo cars to keep something like this from happening again.
 
If Tesla works like many other Agile IT shops, which I believe they do based on some other discussion, then they have a prioritized backlog of items to work on. I would not be surprised to find out that this feature was currently on that backlog but had a lower priority. As stated by other, this is a feature that other cars have so to implement in the Model S is not surprising.

Based on this incident, I wouldn't be surprised if a decision is made to move this item up in priority to prevent another incident like this from happening in the future. Granted it's only one incident but it is a pretty extreme one. Though it really depends on the fall out from the incident. This is mixed good (safety?) and bad (stolen) press right now. Moving this up in priority and rolling out the feature in a short time adds to Tesla credibility regarding being able to quickly upgrade the car via software changes remotely; in this case it would be with an anti-theft upgrade, more good press.

Just to clarify, I am referencing a software change to limit speed or stop the car in the event that is stolen. I personally would not want to enter a code, or other security measure, to drive the car.

Okay, and I will be suprised if it does move up on the priority list. I wish it had never happened, but its not a manufacturer's design flaw that caused it to be stolen. Has any other manufacturer suddenly changed the way the secure their vehicles and prevent it from all possiblities of being stolen after the first couple of thefts? I don't think so.
 
Tesla could come up with a "security" feature, similar to GM's OnStar, allowing the owner or police to remotely slow/stop the car. This would be another form you'd have to sign when signing the paperwork. There's no guarantee it will work, if the car is not within cellular reception etc. I see no reason why tesla can't offer this as an option, especially for those of us that live in cities.

And yes, all of this has already been said.. I think this is enough, a PIN code is overkill, but could be another layer of security you could opt into, especially if you have teenage sons living with you. (Has more than one use)
 
If people wanted to have the option of PIN access to start car in addition to key fob then I don't see anything wrong with that as long as it was optional. Also, Tesla could implement it on their demo cars to keep something like this from happening again.

Agreed. I assume most of us use PIN's on our phones, and probably enter the PIN dozens of times per day, so a PIN on your Model S isn't exactly a huge inconvenience, but by making it optional (as it is on a phone), it's just a matter of personal choice.