When you’re dealing with digital files, it’s always good to have a backup. On Friday (Nov. 19), some owners of Tesla vehicles found that to be true of the smartphone-based key that can be used to open and start the car. Some found they had to use their key fob or key card instead for a few hours.
The issue was reported on Twitter by South Korean automotive journalist Jaehwan Cho, who said that he was unable to connect his iOS app to his car, instead getting a “500 server error.”
I’m experiencing 500 server error to connect my @tesla Model 3 on my iOS app in Seoul, S.Korea. Seems like this is a worldwide issue. @elonmusk
— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) November 19, 2021
Tesla CEO Elon Musk replied on Twitter within three minutes, “Checking…”, and then gave an answer about five hours later, saying the problem was that Tesla “may have accidentally increased verbosity of network traffic,” the Daily Mail reported.
Should be coming back online now. Looks like we may have accidentally increased verbosity of network traffic.
Apologies, we will take measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2021
The Cambridge Dictionary defines “verbosity” in terms of computing, as “a measurement of the amount of information that a computer operating system gives about the tasks it is carrying out, or of the number of words and symbols that a computer language uses to express something or to do something.”
About 500 Tesla Drivers Reported Problem
About 500 Tesla drivers had reported the issue before it was resolved, The Guardian reported Saturday (Nov. 20), citing information from an outage monitoring website called Downdetector.
Tesla vehicles can be unlocked and started from an app on a smartphone, or from a key fob or key card, assuming the driver has them handy, NPR reported Saturday (Nov. 20).
Indeed, the vehicles can be operated even when the app is not working, the BBC reported Saturday (Nov. 20), quoting Stuart Masson, editor of The Car Expert website: “There will be a secondary mechanism to get in or out of the car beyond the app, the difficulty will come for drivers if they are not carrying it.”
Key Card is a Solution
Jaehwan Cho, the journalist who made the initial tweet reporting the problem with the app, said later on Twitter that he had already gotten in the habit of always carrying the Tesla’s key card too. “Key card is the best solution for me when I have trouble accessing the app. Seoul has many underground parking lots and many wi-fi connection which may bother accessing the app. So Key card is always on my pocket!”
Key card is the best solution for me when I have trouble accessing the app. Seoul has many underground parking lots and many wi-fi connection which may bother accessing the app. So Key card is always on my pocket!
— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) November 19, 2021
The number of Tesla cars on the road and equipped with these tools has been growing at a record pace. The company reported record vehicle production and deliveries in the third quarter, producing 237,823 vehicles and delivering 241,300, Tesla reported Oct. 20 during its third-quarter earnings call.
Read more: Tesla Starts Rollout of Auto Insurance Based on Driving Practices
The backup plan suggested by the journalist is one that many of the growing number of Tesla owners may have learned from this experience. Many are enthusiastic about the brand’s high-tech image and reality, but they should also remember what they may have learned when working with digital files of any sort—always keep a backup handy.
