DRIVE Electric for Tesla

Review by eFreeware

The idea behind DRIVE Electric for Tesla is easy to state and hard to pull off: your Wear OS watch becomes the key to your car. Instead of reaching for a phone or a card, you tap the B-pillar or send a Bluetooth command from your wrist to lock, unlock and drive a compatible Tesla. That is the whole pitch, and it is a narrow one, which is exactly why it appeals to me.

This is a paid app from KlokkProjects, priced at $12.99, with no ads. It has been on Google Play since November 2021 and currently sits at a 3.4 average from 230 ratings, with over 10,000 installs. Those numbers suggest a tool that a specific group of owners has adopted rather than a mass-market hit, and the hardware requirements are clearly set out.

If you own a Wear OS watch and a Tesla with the right hardware, this is the kind of utility that can replace a small daily ritual. If either half of that pairing is missing, the app has nothing to offer you. The rest of this review looks at what it actually does, how setup works, and where the limits sit.

What the watch can do at the car

The core of the app is NFC key card functionality. You pair your watch as a key card, then tap the B-pillar to lock, unlock and drive, just as you would with the physical card. For anyone who already relies on phone-as-key, this removes the step of pulling a phone out of a pocket or bag. The developer also includes Bluetooth vehicle access for fast commands when you are near the car, which covers the moments when a tap is less convenient than a button.

Most vehicle commands work over Bluetooth Low Energy, and there are six quick-access tiles for the actions you use most. Tiles matter on a watch because they cut down on navigation; you glance, tap and move on. A battery and charging complication is included as well, so state of charge can sit on a watch face rather than behind an app icon.

Compatibility is the gate here. That hardware is limited to Model 3, Model Y and S or X from 2021 onward. Older vehicles need the Remote Access Subscription. Tizen OS is not supported, and the developer asks buyers to check the compatibility section of the FAQ before purchasing, which is a fair warning given the price.

Remote access and the Fleet API

Everything described so far works over short-range radios. The optional layer is remote access through Tesla's Fleet API, which the developer sells as a subscription. That adds commands from anywhere, remote viewing of vehicle information, and remote climate, charging and vehicle controls. In other words, it is the difference between controlling the car when you are standing next to it and controlling it when you are not.

Paying only matters if you want remote access over the internet. On supported cars, NFC and Bluetooth keep working without paying, which matters if you are weighing the extra cost. You can treat the app as a local key and ignore the remote tier entirely, or pay for the wider reach if you want to precondition the cabin or check charging from a distance.

I would think about how often you actually need to reach the car from far away before committing to a recurring charge. For a lot of owners, the wrist-as-key part is the reason to buy, and the remote tier is a convenience on top. The two are kept clearly apart, which makes that decision easier.

Automation touches worth knowing

On Approach actions are the most interesting feature. From the On Approach tile you select a command, confirm it, and within 10 minutes the action runs automatically when you approach the vehicle. The developer's example is the trunk: choose it, confirm, and it opens as you walk up. That is a genuinely useful pattern for anyone who regularly loads the car with hands full.

The app also offers a compass and map view of the vehicle's location, which helps in parking lots and on unfamiliar streets. Optional PIN protection is available for the app or the watch, and the developer strongly advises using it, since a lost or stolen watch would otherwise give access to vital vehicle operations. That advice is worth taking seriously given what the app is capable of.

Pairing these small features with the core key function is what makes the app feel considered rather than minimal. None of them is essential on its own; together they cover the moments when a watch is simply easier to reach than a phone.

Getting set up and what it asks for

Setup starts with the developer's FAQ, specifically the first three sections covering the starting point, login information and general tips. Sign-in uses your Tesla login, which the developer never sees. Tokens stay on the watch in Wear OS encrypted storage, with no third-party servers involved.

To find the car's BLE signal, Bluetooth needs location permission, even for commands sent from tiles. The developer recommends granting 'Allow all the time' for the best experience. That is a broad permission, and it is worth understanding why it is requested before you grant it.

A Demo Mode is included, showing a parked car in Oslo, Norway. It is for demonstration only and does not interact with a real car, so it is a way to see how the app behaves before trusting it with your own vehicle. The developer asks users to read and accept a disclaimer on the watch before use, and notes that saving a password for the Remote Start feature is done at your own risk.

Do not remove the official Tesla app from your phone. The car manufacturer can change or restrict the APIs the app relies on, and the developer states plainly that no refund would be given if that happens. That is an unusual thing to see spelled out, and it sets expectations honestly.

Where it fits and where it does not

This app is for Tesla owners who already wear a Wear OS watch and want the car key to live on their wrist. The hardware requirements are specific, and the value depends on having both pieces. It is also for people who like the idea of a local, short-range key rather than a cloud-dependent one; the NFC and Bluetooth modes are the foundation, and the subscription is optional.

The 3.4 average from 230 ratings is a signal worth noting. It is not a poor score, but it is not the score of an app that everyone finds frictionless either. With a paid app, that spread is worth noting. The compatibility notes and refund guidance read like an attempt to close that gap before purchase.

I would not treat this as a replacement for the official phone app, and the developer does not ask you to. It is a companion that moves one specific job, locking and driving, onto a device you are already wearing. For the right owner, that is a meaningful convenience. For everyone else, the requirements make the decision for them.

A wrist key for the right Tesla owner

DRIVE Electric for Tesla is a focused, paid utility with a clear job: make a Wear OS watch work as a Tesla key over NFC and Bluetooth, with optional Fleet API remote access on top. It does that for Model 3, Model Y and 2021+ Model S/X owners, and it asks for location permission and an acceptance of the disclaimer to get going. The extras, including six tiles, a battery and charging complication, On Approach actions, a compass and map, and optional PIN protection, round out the core function.

The case for buying it rests on hardware you already own. If your watch runs Wear OS and your car is on the compatibility list, the $12.99 price buys a genuine change to how you get into and start your car. If your vehicle is older, the Remote Access Subscription becomes part of the calculation, and if your watch runs Tizen, the app is not an option at all.

I would go in expecting a companion rather than a replacement, and I would read the compatibility section before paying. For the owner it fits, the appeal is obvious: one less thing to carry, and one less reason to reach for a phone.

What's new

- Added an "Important Message" section for messages from the developer.