How Apple-backed smartphone tech may soon replace your car keys

Jun 22, 2018

New wireless standard set to streamline how drivers interact with their vehicles

BMW

BMW already allows users to access their car through an app

Losing your car keys may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new standard for keyless vehicles being developed by a collective of technology and motoring giants.

The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), which includes Apple and BMW, has outlined plans for systems that will allow motorists to open, close and control their car using their smartphone.

According to Auto Express, the technology uses “near-field communication (NFC) protocol”, which is the connectivity that allows people to make contactless payments through their smartphones.

This suggests drivers could simply hold their phone near their car door handle and scan their fingerprint to unlock the vehicle.

The tech standard may also be transferred into the car-sharing industry, says US tech news site ZDNet. The wireless keys can be shared with other smartphone users, allowing customers to download a passcode to enter a hire car.

A report by the CCC on the digital keys project says that the mechanism “works agnostic of the brand of the car or the smart device, so that the rental agency is the single contact point for the customer”.

If a car is sold and the previous owner has shared the digital pass with someone else,“the new owner is able to revoke all keys that have been provisioned during the previous ownership”, the report explains.

Car and device makers will now begin integrating the new tech standard into their latest products. MacRumors reports that an updated specification with more connectivity options is due at the beginning of 2019.

Does the tech already exist?

Yes, but it is only offered by a select few companies, including BMW.

Electric car firm Tesla also allows its customers to access their vehicle using their smartphones, The Daily Telegraph reports. Tesla owners can also use a mobile to “limit the top speed and acceleration whilst someone else is driving their car”.

This technology is bespoke to Tesla, but the CCC’s version will be standardised across the car industry.