Idea for Ford: Mini Fob

[TurkeyTown]

Edit: It seems in the last couple of weeks there are already two other threads that beat me to posting the idea. Not seeing where to delete this dupe thread, but glad I am not the only one thinking about this.

At it's core my idea is aimed at the following issues:
- PaaK reliability
- PaaK phone battery drain
- Only one fob from the factory

How about a smaller fob with no buttons, and no key insert? With this vehicle in particular (especially if you also setup PaaK) I don't think we need any of that stuff bulking up the fob, and presumably increasing the cost.

What we do need is a very reliable presence mechanism (which fobs are very good at) that doesn't rely on spamming the bluetooth radio on my phone (very bad for phone battery life).

I would absolutely love to pair a smaller fob (that fits in my pocket nicer) with PAAK. The phone is there for doing what the buttons on the fob used to do (and more even if they keep adding more to the app), and then keep the communications/presence concerns (that can chew up phone battery) separate with a dedicated set of hardware and power source.

Maybe a cheaper fob would be something Ford would consider including as a second one from the factory?

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[New2EV]

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/smaller-key-fob.9247/post-239761

 

[Peaceowl]

You mean like the Tesla key card? That’s easy to carry. I guess Musk hashed a lot of this over before MME evolved.?

 

[oadesign]

TRUE STORY: My wife and I drove from Boston area to NYC in her XC40 on 12/10 for the weekend, since my MME is on hold.
Pulled in to the reserved garage on 34th St., then hunted for the fob to give to the attendant. Looked in every pocket, under the seats, everywhere—but could NOT find it.

Panicked, but it made no sense; it HAD to be somewhere. Then, near the phone charging pad I found a tiny fob, “What’s this, I asked my wife.” “I don’t know; it’s been in the car ever since I took delivery in April.”

Thankfully it was a mini fob (valet fob), which Volvo included with the other 2 full-size fobs. It saved us, as when we returned home, I’d discovered that I’d forgotten to take the key off the hook by the garage door.

Although we haven’t tried it, her XC40 also includes PAAK. So that’s 2 fobs, 1 valet fob, plus PAAK. Are you listening @Ford Motor Company ?

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