Published in NFCW on May 26, 2023.
Daniel Knobloch, vice president of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and wireless systems architect at BMW of North America, has recorded an interview on the current status and future outlook for digital car keys for Contactless World Congress.
Vehicle manufacturers across the world are now working to bring contactless car keys that work seamlessly both on Apple and Android devices to all makes and models of both privately-owned and commercial vehicles, Knobloch tells NFCW editor Sarah Clark in the interview.
And, while it will take some time before every car is equipped with digital keys, the majority of vehicle makers are now planning, testing and building solutions, Knobloch says.
“I think, not too far in the future, we will reach this point that it’s a standard feature in cars,” he explains. Consumers will then have the option to buy “almost every car with that functionality”.
In the interview, Knobloch answers questions about the Car Connectivity Consortium’s standards and how they support NFC and ultra wideband (UWB) in combination with Bluetooth LE, the use cases and benefits of digital keys, and the current state of market readiness.
He also discusses the importance of interoperability, exceptional user experience and security in the development of digital keys, and explains that the adoption of digital keys by vehicle manufacturers is being driven by the ability to deliver a superior user experience.
Sharing digital keys between both Apple and Android device owners is of particular importance, he adds, not just among friends or family members but also for car rental applications and emerging use cases, including enhanced mobility services.
The main focus of the CCC’s work is now on interoperability, he adds, with Apple, BMW, Google and Samsung as well as Hyundai, Continental and Rivian all having participated in a recent Plugfest to test device and vehicle compatibility.
A recording of the full audio interview is available in the NFCW Knowledge Centre.
Read the full article from NFCW here.
