Tesla Model 3 doesn't have a key – and seven other things we learned

Elon Musk revealed Tesla's Model 3 is unlocked by a smartphone and doesn't have a traditional key or fob among a host of other details at the delivery event for the first 30 mass-market electric cars over the weekend. As the Model 3 enters what Musk called "six months of manufacturing hell" as Tesla ramps up production to meet the more than 500,000 pre-orders, one of the most surprising titbits is that there is no traditional key to open and start Tesla's mass-market electric car hope. Instead, would-be buyers of the $35,000-plus five-seat electric car will have to unlock the car with their smartphones over Bluetooth. The car will detect the owner's smartphone – almost all modern smartphones made in the last three years supports Bluetooth – and automatically unlock, ready to start and go. Should the battery on your phone run flat, which is a very real possibility in the days of increased use for everything from music, cameras and now keys, Tesla has a backup in the form of an NFC key card that is apparently thin enough to store in a wallet.