Despite safety concerns, manufacturers persist in their desire to transform the way we open and start our vehicles.
Unlocking car doors without having to take out an ignition key is nothing new. But in recent years, manufacturers have gone a step further by making this possible using a simple smartphone.
However, the concept is still in its infancy, and the automotive industry is still far from taking the plunge in its entirety. So, to move things forward, several manufacturers and tech players have joined forces to draw up a roadmap. And, why not, even a new standard.
JUMPWG?
The names behind this project are far from unknown. These include some of the biggest names in the automobile industry, as well as renowned players in the tech sector such as Apple, Google, Samsung, Xiaomi and Qualcomm. They originally supported two consortia: the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) with a very evocative name, and FiRawhich wants to change the world with ultra-wideband (ULB) technologies.
All these beautiful people set up a working group, the Joint Ultra-wideband MAC PHY Working Group (or JUMPWG). Its mission will be to ensure “ interoperability and scalability » of ULB technology for digital keys, and therefore to encourage its large-scale adoption. It is a certain Jinjing Jiang, wireless systems engineer at Apple, who will have the difficult task of directing this work. Further proof that the merger of the worlds of tech and automobiles is complete?
Apple’s expertise: good news for this technology?
As CCC Chair Alysia Johnson points out, the JUMPWG’s main challenge will be to create a system that is efficient and safer than what automakers are currently able to offer. Car theft has evolved in recent years, and protecting cars is increasingly a matter of cybersecurity.
Creating a new, reliable standard will not be an easy task, especially in an industry that is experiencing greater change than usual. However, the industry appears well on its way to reaching agreements on a host of issues, similar to what happened recently in the United States with electric vehicle charging ports.
Especially since the technologies exploited by Jiang and his teams are already quite common and well mastered by the CCC. The latter uses, in fact, ULB, NFC and Bluetooth for its digital keys, and the experience of the former Apple engineer should provide know-how acquired with Apple’s AirTag. It remains to be seen whether car manufacturers will be won over by the results, and whether the technology will reassure motorists who have experienced numerous setbacks in this area in recent years.
Source : The Verge
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