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'Smart' rental car strands couple in remote highway after cellphone signal was lost.

Sqrt

Sqrt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,880
On Saturday morning, I used an app on my phone to unlock a vehicle from Gig, a car sharing startup, and set off for a Valentine's Day weekend trip to northern California with my partner.

By late Sunday afternoon, we were sitting on the side of a remote highway, a software issue on our smart car rendering it unusable. It was getting dark, we had no way of getting home, and I was contemplating the limits of the sharing economy and the ultimate costs of convenience.

We had stopped the car for a quick hike down to the beach and when we returned found we could no longer use my phone to start the car. A customer service representative told us by phone the car's software could not be remotely reset as it was out of cellular service range. It needed to be towed.

"Does this happen often?" I asked the representative, incredulously. "On that highway, yes," she replied. I later discovered this particular stretch of US Highway 1 has no cell service for an approximately 40-mile radius.

Driving a smart car into rural California seems, in retrospect, ill-advised. But others have told me they experienced similar issues, even within the city limits of Oakland and San Francisco.
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www.theguardian.com

My smart car rental was a breeze – until I got trapped in the woods

I rented a car through the Gig app. But when I lost cellphone service, I found myself stuck by a remote highway
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

This is why I don't like the total dependence on the cloud. What about you, Era?
 
Tobor

Tobor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
28,503
Richmond, VA
Sounds like a good commercial opportunity for the traditional car rental companies.

"At Enterprise Rent-A-Car, we always give you a real key".
 
LastCaress

LastCaress

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
1,682
I use a service in Lisbon where I can unlock cars with my phone and then drive them and park them where I want, don't know what I'd do if I got to somewhere without signal.
 
Commedieu

Commedieu

Banned
Nov 11, 2017
15,025
Can't it write a tmp file while it doesn't have connection. Then update that when it does?

Where's my millions?
 
ILikeFeet

ILikeFeet

DF Deet Master
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
61,987
Companies are always putting the cart before the horse and assume the whole "internet issue" will solve itself
 
cameron

cameron

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
23,828
According to an email from Gig sent that afternoon – which I did not receive until much later – to offer customers the "best experience", cars are re-synced automatically every 24 hours; in other words, the car needs to update its connection to the cloud for security purposes.
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Gotta sync every 24 hrs for security porpoises.



NekoFever said:
Silicon Valley tech startup engineer: "What do you mean no internet connection?"
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"Why would I drive there?"
 
HStallion

HStallion

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
62,262
Sounds like a good set up for a horror movie. Isn't it about time they re-adapt The Hills Have Eyes or something like that?
 
OP
OP
Sqrt

Sqrt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,880
HStallion said:
Sounds like a good set up for a horror movie. Isn't it about time they re-adapt The Hills Have Eyes or something like that?
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"A group of teenagers disable the cellphone tower at a small American town during a prank gone wrong.... "
No Signal, the scariest generation Z movie, streaming now!
 
Fliesen

Fliesen

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,254
NekoFever said:
Silicon Valley tech startup engineer: "What do you mean no internet connection?"
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maxresdefault.jpg


"We have a product for people who have no cellphone coverage, it's called GET IN LINE AT ALAMO OR HERTZ OR WHATEVER"
 
Stinkles

Stinkles

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,459
Btw although the op rightly says "rural stretch of highway " it's also one of the most heavily touristed and like the Road to Hana in Hawaii- a place where driving and stopping are 100% guaranteed things tourists will and should expect to do. They should have fixed the app on the first call. Just put a gps exception to unlock and start.


Fliesen said:
maxresdefault.jpg


"We have a product for people who have no cellphone coverage, it's called GET IN LINE AT ALAMO OR HERTZ OR WHATEVER"
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9BAR4LQ.gif
 
Fliesen

Fliesen

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,254
Stinkles said:
Btw although the op rightly says "rural stretch of highway " it's also one of the most heavily touristed and like the Road to Hana in Hawaii- a place where driving and stopping are 100% guaranteed things tourists will and should expect to do. They should have fixed the app on the first call. Just put a gps exception to unlock and start.
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Additionally, the software should have some kind of override code - which is generated via some black-box algorithm based on the date and the serial no. of the car.
That way, the call center rep could help to remotely 'unlock' the car for the rest of the day.
 
The Real Abed

The Real Abed

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,723
Pennsylvania
We are living in the worst timeline. We Black Mirror now.

Do these cars not have manual override? It should automatically kick in when service is lost.

The sad thing is this is the always connected future I always wanted, but it's being created by the dumbest people in the world and works like shit.
 

Deleted member 9035

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
8,686
As if there wasn't enough pressure already to live in big cities rather than spread out...

"The autonomous ambulance we sent to get you lost cellular coverage and turned back."

"Please try to have your next heart attack away from rural areas."
 
OP
OP
Sqrt

Sqrt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,880
The Real Abed said:
We are living in the worst timeline. We Black Mirror now.

Do these cars not have manual override? It should automatically kick in when service is lost.

The sad thing is this is the always connected future I always wanted, but it's being created by the dumbest people in the world and works like shit.
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Security hazard, it would be my guess.
 
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Stinkles

Stinkles

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,459
Fliesen said:
Additionally, the software should have some kind of override code - which is generated via some black-box algorithm based on the date and the serial no. of the car.
That way, the call center rep could help to remotely 'unlock' the car for the rest of the day.
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Yeah it's shocking that there's no such method, especially when you consider the safety implications. Imagine it had been an elederly lady with health issues?
 
Old Gimlet Eyes

Old Gimlet Eyes

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,226
This is one of the most asinine things I've ever read. You know your product isn't going to work on 1 where people are constantly driving and taking photos....righttt.
 
abellwillring

abellwillring

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,937
Austin, TX
It's been about a decade since I used one, but I know Zipcar required you to scan in to complete your reservation and unlock the car.. I don't know what sort of contingencies existed though for a situation such as this. I think it just let you unlock the car and then you used keys as normal. It seems crazy to think of having an always connected requirement for situations such as this.
 
OP
OP
Sqrt

Sqrt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,880
The Real Abed said:
Well obviously the vehicle would pull over then display a warning that it needs to be switched to manual. If you own one of these I assume you still need a valid drivers license and can't just throw unlicensed people into the car and send it on its way, right?
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I was thinking more in terms of theft and fare dodging.
 
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