A Tesla FCC document disclosed by The Verge suggests that the next Tesla cars will accept Ultra Wideband, a technology built into the latest iPhones and vehicles, which allows for greater accuracy when unlocking a car with a smartphone.
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In September, Tesla unveiled documentation on the new key wallets, a controller and the endpoints that would be installed inside and in the cab of a vehicle, some of which accept Ultra Wideband communication. Tesla uses a standards-based implementation of Ultra Wideband, so it should be compatible with iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models that support the technology if it eventually reaches Tesla vehicles.
Apple iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 devices are equipped with a U1 chip that supports Ultra Wideband technology for better spatial awareness and location detection inside. Apple compared the Ultra Wideband to “GPS at the living room scale” and is designed for accurate proximity tracking.
At the moment, Apple is using the U1 chip for an AirDrop directional function and to interact with the HomePod mini equipped with U1 for teaching songs, but otherwise it doesn’t do much. In the future, Apple is expected to use the U1 chip for AirTags and has applications such as vehicle integration.
There is no explicit word that Tesla’s Ultra Wideband implementation will work with the iPhone, but Tesla already has an iPhone app that allows Tesla owners to lock and unlock their cars, among other features. According to the FCC, Tesla’s Ultra Wideband feature will determine exactly how far a person is from their car for unlocking and activation, and Tesla describes it as safer.
Future Tesla vehicles will include more Ultra Wideband endpoints in the vehicle for proper location triangulation and to determine if a person is inside or outside the car, and they will likely be able to interface with Apple iPhones .
Other vehicle manufacturers are also working on Ultra Wideband technology that will work with the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models. In January, BMW said it was working on Digital Key Plus, a new Ultra Wideband version of the Apple Car Keys feature, which is designed to allow drivers to unlock and start vehicles without taking the iPhone out of their pocket or bag.
BMW’s Ultra Wideband technology will be incorporated into the iX electric vehicle, which will be launched in Europe in late 2021 and in North America in early 2022.