Must Be Purchased Separately, Tesla No Longer Includes Free Key Cards For Cost Efficiency

Key cards on Tesla electric cars. (Photo: Tesla)

JAKARTA Tesla is rumored to be discontinuing physical key cards for free on some of its new cars, including Model 3 and Model Y. The move came to light after the US electric car manufacturer removed information about two key cards from official guidance for the two models.

So far, Tesla has always provided two credit card-shaped key cards with wireless RFID technology instead of traditional metal keys. This card allows owners to open and turn on the vehicle without using physical keys.

Where, the car owner simply attaches the card to the car pillar. However, the latest changes show that the card is now most likely an optional accessory, as quoted from InsideEvs, Tuesday, October 21.

For customers who still want physical key cards, Tesla offers this product separately at a price of around US$40 or equivalent to Rp663,000. This decision is thought to be part of the company's cost efficiency strategy, which has been known to cut non-essential elements from its product lines.

Although the value of savings from key cards looks small, in the production volume of hundreds of thousands of units, this step has the potential to cut operating costs significantly. Tesla now seems to further encourage the use of the phone key' feature, which allows smartphones to function as the main key to the vehicle.

However, the loss of a physical key card can cause inconvenience to some users. Situasi seperti saat mobil diserahkan ke valet atau dibawa ke pabrik pihak ketiga kerap memerlukan kartu kunci fisik untuk akses mudah.

Therefore, prospective Tesla owners are advised to check the details of the participation of accessories such as key cards in booking letters or when taking vehicles. This is important so that there are no surprises related to options that were previously considered included in the package.