Volvo intends to be the first car manufacturer to ditch physical keys in favor of a mobile app.
Starting next year, Volvo customers will be offered a Bluetooth-enabled app that can unlock vehicles. Those without a smartphone can still get a physical key, but the idea is to let families and car rental services more easily share access to the vehicle among multiple people.
“Mobility needs are evolving and so are our customers’ expectation to access cars in an uncomplicated way,” Henrik Green, vice president of product strategy and vehicle line management at Volvo, said in a statement.
“Our innovative digital key technology has the potential to completely change how a Volvo can be accessed and shared,” Green continued. “Instead of sitting idle in a parking lot the entire day, cars can be used more often and efficiently by whoever the owner wishes.”
Imagine hopping off a plane and using your phone’s GPS to locate a rental car, which you unlock with your phone; no waiting in endless lines at the rental car office. Or, if you’re sharing your car with a friend or family member, send them a digital key to their phones; no need for a physical key exchange meetup. The app will also support multiple Volvos if you have more than one, or several in a fleet.
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Volvo will begin piloting this technology in the spring via car-sharing firm Sunfleet, stationed at Sweden’s Gothenburg airport. A limited number of commercially available cars will be equipped with the new digital key technology in 2017.
“There are obviously many permutations when it comes to how this shared key technology can be used,” Martin Rosenqvist, new car director of special products, said. “We look forward to seeing how else this technology might be used in the future and we welcome any and all ideas.”
