The rav4 EV has a sim card, so unless Tesla went out of it's way to design something different for the rav4 EV, the same will be true for the model S.
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I hope Tony W. Doesn't mind me reposting his pic, but Toyota doesn't manufacture Tesla PCB's.
Is that for a RAV4, or the Model S?
That Telit module is a complete modem! That specific one is a 3.5G (HSPA+) module that can indeed be swapped for a a CDMA one.
CDMA modules | Telit Wireless Solutions, making machines talk
However, if that module is the same as in the Model S, we are SOL for getting a decent LTE offering. Telit doesn't make an LTE modem in that package. Our only hope for LTE is if the MS actually uses the Half Mini Card PCIe form factor. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I think it's been made pretty clear from a number of sources that the car currently can support 4G (HSPA+) but not 4G LTE. Realistically, since we can't do streaming video or download files, why on earth do we need faster than HSPA+? I guess I just don't get the fuss! For Slacker, Google Maps, web browsing, etc., HSPA+ should be just fine thank you.
As for those saying they want to swap out the card/SIM, well that's a non-starter. The deal between Tesla and AT&T allows Tesla to pay for the telemetry/service-related data while the customer (us) pays for the data to support streaming audio, web browsing, etc. I suppose technically you could potentially still do it, but you'd be risking screwing up the VPN connection or however the car is connecting to the Tesla servers. AT&T coverage for voice and 4G LTE is pretty crappy, but for 3G they cover 99% of the population, and that's not too bad.
The thing is, if/when Tesla starts asking us to pay for the 3G (or 3.5G HSPA+) connectivity over the AT&T network. If I (and others) are going to pay for something, it's going to be for a network that we know has good coverage for us. As others have said, in major cities even the car's 3G gets bogged down. Sure, you have all the bars, but when you're sitting there for a few minutes waiting for the traffic map to load (non-satellite) it sucks. My wife and I BOTH have Verizon phones and were able to very quickly pull this data. Additional testing to show the AT&T connection was crap compared to Verizon's has been tests connecting it to our MiFi hotspot. Everything speeds up, and no lag in updating even when the hotspot is "hampered" by Verizon's 3G. Now, when it pops over to 4G LTE on the hotspot, it's not even a fair challenge 
Also, adding a Verizon device (the car) to our family plan is very simple and could possibly be a bit lower in cost than any plan Tesla might offer.
Verizon has many aspects that makes me surprised that Tesla chose AT&T. Verizon bought Hughes Telematics a while back, which provides the likes of Mercedes with their vehicle connectivity.
When it comes down to it, it's all about choice.
Also, adding a Verizon device (the car) to our family plan is very simple and could possibly be a bit lower in cost than any plan Tesla might offer.
Verizon has many aspects that makes me surprised that Tesla chose AT&T. Verizon bought Hughes Telematics a while back, which provides the likes of Mercedes with their vehicle connectivity.
When it comes down to it, it's all about choice.
I recall reading in a different thread, some months ago, that the sticker on the hatchback is a cell descriptor -- that has the info for switching the coverage to another provider.
However I haven't seen the need to try it since 1) so far I'm not paying for connectivity and 2) the wifi connects to my home network for firmware downloads.
Once we get a contract proposal I'll look at the costs difference for doing something else.
However I haven't seen the need to try it since 1) so far I'm not paying for connectivity and 2) the wifi connects to my home network for firmware downloads.
Once we get a contract proposal I'll look at the costs difference for doing something else.
Odenator
Member
A question for everyone - why does this matter if we can use our phones as a mobile hotspot and connect the car via wifi?
For a first time fee of ~$5000 and a monthly fee of $500 I can get you Verizon data in your car.
I'll fly out, install a hidden Verizon WiFi hotspot. You will have Verizon WiFi wherever you go.
chickensevil
Active Member
This might not be a bad option if you have to start paying for services. I am sure a simple DIY could manage this, using power from a USB port or something similar... didn't someone stick keyboards and mice into the USB ports and they worked... someone should try a USB Verizon 4G card haha!
So it might not have to be a Telit module to fit in here. This is exactly what I was referring to earlier when I linked the Dell one. All of these are pretty much made to the same PCB connector standard (I couldn't tell you what that standard is... but it is pretty standard since every laptop has been using them for a number of years... like since early 2000s...)
The only issue with switching it out, will be, driver support. Assuming that their version of Linux (which I think people have figured out that is what they are running on the back end) is even halfway decent, it should have the driver support built in. So it would just be a matter of finding a card from a manufacturer that is compatible with Verizon LTE
RE Just swap the SIM Card:
Hold up, not so fast.... even IF (and that is a big IF) they ever even went to 4G, does not instantly make it compatible with a Verizon service. Even IF it is LTE, doesn't make it compatible. Just ask the people (like me) looking to get the new Google Nexus 5... Google (being pissed off at Verizon for good reason) purposely built the radio in that device to not be able to receive and broadcast on channel 13... they have like every other channel in the band, but 13, and guess who uses 13? Verizon.
With this current device being HSPA+ and not CDMA or LTE the chances of a simple SIM card swap working is slim to none.
Many of us don't want to kill or morph our plans to tether to our cars. Also, it would mean my car is dependent upon my phone which is not a dependency I want.
AT&T is one of those companies people love to hate (like Microsoft). If they had just kept the name SBC when they bought the original AT&T and took it's name, they'd probably be significantly more loved (as much as a phone company can be). Instead most people like to exaggerate their issues and pile on cause it's fun. Human nature.
All of that said and bringing it around to the original topic, it's great to see a telecommunications company getting serious about a connected car and not just slapping a modem in the dash and sending you a bill (which is what they've done so far). Take a look at their actual press release:
http://about.att.com/newsroom/connected_car.html
The lab they built out in Atlanta actually looks like something i'd expect from Elon, so I'm guessing this had more to do with a aligning of vision then just a "we're cheaper" sales pitch. Now that I think of it, does Verizon even want into this space?
chickensevil
Active Member
Do they even need to right now? haha. I mean they have a pretty huge market share in the US compared to AT&T (the number 2 guy).
About the "love to hate"... no I hate Verizon just as much as any other telecom, because it is just like the major automakers... where they are all screwing over the customers and lobbying the government to screw us over even more and also lock out any real competition.
That being said, I go with Verizon because they have hands down the best 4G coverage, even here in the busy Northern VA area, where you would think tech like this would be bleeding edge and such. Noone comes close to the coverage of Verizon. 3G wise, Verizon has easily has the best coverage here too. If you look at AT&T's map they say Nationwide coverage at 99% but with a big fat *asterisk*... if you go look at their real data, their 3G coverage looks pretty pathetic. This all is what irritates me about what Google did with their Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 keeping it away from Verizon. Because I would totally switch carriers, if they could even remotely compete on the 4G coverage. Verizon, I hold 4G just about everywhere I go within my local area here... I have talked with others, and they can't even hold it on the freeway where you would think they would have things focused the most.
AT&T LTE is much faster here than Verizon and Sprint (the only ones we have checked multiple times using the same device) and coverage is great at least where I travel. I am sure in the more fringe areas Verizon is still superior (like it was when I was with them), but it's a non-issue for so many people. Somehow I doubt the majority of Tesla owners live in the boonies.
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