THIS Truck is Designed Like LEGO's—This Could Change EVs Forever

[KevinRS]

I realized after I last posted and logged off, what the safety issue with manual keys only is.
They were considering manual keys only, but that means when you go out to the parking lot, you have to get the keys out, find the right key, and put it in the lock the right way up if it's really old fashioned.
That possibly involves delays, while you are standing around outside the car in the lot.

With modern fobs or a fob built into a key, as I am approaching my car, I reach into my pocket, and without stopping, or even pulling the key out, I press the button to unlock, take the last few steps and open the door and get in, and can lock the door immediately.

It was an issue where women actually were attacked while getting their keys out and unlocking the door, before remote fobs became commonplace.
This is also one of several items where they calculated making it standard was cheaper than making it an option.
For example they could have left out air conditioning, but since the battery needs cooling, little would be saved, especially if the design required the ability to add it, and then the optional add on would cost a lot more. Just throwing out numbers, but save $50 to leave it out, and then the add on costs hundreds.

 

[E90400K]

 

[E90400K]

The VW switch blade key fob would work perfectly here. A button to light up the car, button to precondition, and a metal blade key for the door locks.

 

[phidauex]

I think bladed keys are less reliable than electronic locks. The keys wear, the tumblers get gunked up over time - a modern solenoid is wildly reliable. Datapoint - my Tacoma (250k mi) barely opens with the key now on the drivers side due to slop in the mechanisms, and the passenger side is totally stuck. I'll fix it at some point but it will mean a fresh set of keys (cut from a code, not copied from the worn out keys) and probably new tumblers. Our Prius (210k mi) has never once had a problem with the fob or the electronic locks, other than changing the fob battery every few years. I had to open it the other day with the bladed backup key to replace the LV battery, and it was sticky and barely opened.

Same story with their windows - manual on the Tacoma, which get stuck frequently and I've had to replace the tracks on - and motorized on the Prius, which have had 0 problems ever.

It is a myth that mechanical is always more reliable than electronic. Slate should be shooting for "best reliability/cost ratio", which in many cases may actually be the electronic actuator. I think bladed key-only (and the crank windows) are more of a stylistic concession than an actual lowest cost or highest reliability analysis.

 

[Bo’sFarmGeneva]

if its anything like most other "keyless" key fobs they will have an actual metal key in the fob for emergency use.