Just gotta break out the soldering iron then.

In 2018? I doubt car manufacturers can move that fast. Apple didn't implement eSIM until 2018 for the iPhone XS. No way an auto maker has it before consumer electronics maker.

Given the Wikipedia page about eSIM says:

The European Commission selected the eUICC format for its in-vehicle emergency call service, known as eCall, in 2012.[23] All new car models in the EU must have one by 2018 to instantly connect the car to emergency services in case of an accident.[24]

I'd say they have been around since then.

edit: here is a great talk about how eSIMs work from last CCC https://media.ccc.de/v/camp2023-57190-demystifying_esim_tech...

For a very long time now you have never needed a SIM to call emergency services. Maybe it's different in the EU but US car models that include telematics (ie Onstar) have been able to call emergency services without a subscription.

Shouldn't emergency services be accessible without a SIM? On the other hand, using a SIM allows government to track car's movement.

The cell modem has a separate unique identifier, so the government should be able to track sim-free devices.