For one thing, the Model 3 uses a smartphone app as the main way to unlock the car. Just approach the Model 3 with your smartphone on you, and it'll prepare itself for you. Tesla released some new images showcasing this feature as well as the backup method — a key card the driver swipes near the B-pillar to unlock the vehicle. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also announced another new feature on Twitter that the company has yet to implement.
A Twitter user tweeted at Musk with a suggestion that "work" destinations in the navigation be attached to driver profiles, rather than just using the same "work" regardless of who is driving the vehicle. Elon Musk replied minutes later that all settings would be moved to the cloud, "so any Tesla you drive in the world automatically adjusts to you."
Not only would this serve households where more than one driver uses the car, it could also be useful when taking home a loaner or — even better — when a Tesla is being used in a car sharing program. Interestingly, the Model 3 is also equipped with a cabin-facing camera, though Electrek says it's not currently active. While this could help monitor the driver's attention for various levels of autonomous driving, Electrek suggests it could also be used to monitor occupancy when used in a sharing service.
Tesla has a car sharing program in the works, called Tesla Network, which Musk confirmed in a conference call last year. He said that owners will be able to add their cars to the shared fleet through an app, which would allow the car to generate income (for both Tesla and the car owner) or offset the price of the car when the user doesn't need it. It's still unclear when the Tesla Network will launch, but the introduction of the Model 3 and the newly announced features are a step in that direction.
