Tesla’s next car could support ultra broadband unlocking with the iPhone

A leaked Tesla FCC document shared by The Verge suggests that upcoming Tesla cars will support Ultra Wideband, a technology built into the latest iPhones and vehicles, which allows for greater accuracy in unlocking a car with a smartphone.

Tesla introduced in September documentation on new keys, a controller and endpoints that would be installed inside the frame and cab of a vehicle, some of which support ultra broadband communication. Tesla uses an implementation based on Ultra Wideband standards, so it should be compatible with iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models that support the technology if they end up in Tesla vehicles.

Apple’s AppleiPhone 11‌ and PiPhone 12‌ devices are equipped with a U1 chip that supports Ultra Wideband technology to improve spatial awareness and indoor location detection. Apple has compared Ultra Wideband to the “GPS in the living room scale” and is designed to accurately track proximity.

Right now, Apple is using the U1 chip for a directional AirDrop function and to interact with the U1-equipped HomePod mini to deliver songs, but on the other hand not long ago. In the future, Apple is expected to use the U1 chip for AirTags and also has applications such as integration with vehicles.

There’s no explicit word that Tesla’s broadband implementation works 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 document, Tesla’s Ultra Wideband feature will more accurately determine a person’s distance from their car to unlock and activate it, and Tesla describes it as safer.

Future Tesla vehicles will include several Ultra Wideband endpoints in the vehicle for proper location triangulation and to determine if a person is in or out of the car, and they are likely to be able to interact with Apple iPhones.

Other vehicle manufacturers are also working on Ultra Wideband technology that will work with the ‌iPhone 11‌ and PiPhone 12‌ models. In January, BMW said it was working on Digital Key Plus, a new Ultra Wideband version of the Apple Car Keys feature that is designed to allow drivers to unlock and start vehicles without taking their ‌iPhone‌ out of their pocket or purse.

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.