Initial specification to use smartphone as a car key

Technology News | February 23, 2018

By Wisse Hettinga

Digital Key leverages existing standards-based interoperable technologies from GlobalPlatform, GSMA, Bluetooth SIG and NFC Forum. A cross-industry task team of automotive, smart phone and technology supplier companies develops the specification, including Audi, BMW, Continental, Gemalto, LG Electronics, NXP, Panasonic, Qualcomm Incorporated, Samsung and Volkswagen.

The Phase One specification is undergoing final member review and will be made available to all CCC members in Q2, 2018. In ongoing work, Digital Key will be optimized to enable even more vehicle and smart phone companies, building the basis for a Digital Key ecosystem which will scale over the whole industry.

To date, there are a few proprietary systems available for using a smart device as a digital car key. However, by constraining the digital key to only work between specific smart phones and cars, the use cases are limited. By delivering an interoperable system, CCC is enabling a richer ecosystem that supports transfer of the Digital Key amongst devices and drivers and enables new use cases for fleet management, car rental and car sharing companies. For these future use cases, Digital Key expands privacy and flexibility, allows for secure key transfer, and streamlines vehicle and fleet management.

“The addition of Digital Key to CCC’s technology portfolio fulfills our promise to enable connected in-vehicle systems that put drivers first by delivering new capabilities and creates exciting new business models for companies that manage numerous vehicles,” said Mahfuzur Rahman, President, CCC. “Our members have already identified a number of ways that they believe this technology will be used – for example for car sharing and rental cars, the car key can be easily transferred in advance to the driver through their smart phone.”

www.carconnectivity.org