Both the Tesla Model S and Model X electric vehicles, which company were introduced in 2012 and 2015, have always had key fobs as standard equipment, providing owners the choice to carry a physical “key” about instead of having a mobile device to unlock their vehicles.

New owners of Tesla’s flagship vehicles will now have to pay extra for the accessory as a result of the recent change.

The change will be in effect for deliveries made after July 1, 2022, according to one of our readers who took receipt of a Model S earlier this week but who did not receive a key fob.

The majority of owners use their mobile devices as their key, according to data cited by Tesla in an internal email to employees, therefore eliminating the key fob as standard equipment would reduce e-waste. New deliveries still come standard with two key cards.

Key fobs are still available on the Tesla Shop for $175 USD/$225 CAD each if you actually need or want one.