Hyundai & Kia could now be unlocked via your smartphone

MANILA: Smartphones are becoming smarter with the passage of each day, aren’t they? The number and kind of tasks we can carry out using our electronic companions continues to increase exponentially as well. Why should not the automobile industry gain benefit then?

The Hyundai Motor Group is working on a smartphone application dubbed as “Digital Key” that will not only allow the car owner to unlock the vehicle using his/her smartphone but also start the engine.

Yep, you heard just that. Unlocking and starting your car with your smartphone may just become a reality sooner than later. That will be some convenience, right? The app that is being developed will be downloaded straight to the owner's phone and can be used by up to four authorised persons.

The app or shall we say the Digital Key works on the principle of NFC (Near Field Communication). Once the mobile device with the application installed is brought near the car’s door, the vehicle can be unlocked and further started by simply placing the smartphone on the wireless charging pad inside the cabin. The driver still needs to press the start/stop button, though.

With up to four users allowed to unlock and operate the car using the application, they will also be able to store information like controls for the infotainment, navigation and heads-up display along with the position of mirrors, seat, steering wheel. Hence, depending on which user has unlocked the car using his/her smartphone, the vehicle will automatically adjust the aforementioned settings using the data saved in its memory.

Furthermore, users will also be able to perform tasks like lock/unlock the vehicle, start the engine, and turning on the alarm from a farther distance via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication tech. The vehicles may even have the capabilities of being parked automatically using the Digital Key.

While the concept is very innovative and seems alluring, the risks it possesses are big as well. In the situation of a customer losing or damaging his/her smartphone may cause catastrophic consequences.

Hackers may also replicate the signals of the owner’s phone and connect to the car via NFC or Bluetooth. Hyundai should be considering all the negative outcomes of the tech and must come up with solid solutions before equipping its vehicles with the innovative tech. The next-generation Sonata is said to be one of the first cars from the South Korean automaker’s stable to feature this advanced feature.

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