The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), an organization dedicated to advancing vehicle-to-device connectivity solutions, has awarded BMW Group and NXP Semiconductors the CCC Digital Key certification. According to CCC, the two companies are the first to receive this certification.
BMW Group received certification for its digital key product, which lets drivers use their CCC Digital Key-enabled smartphones to lock, unlock and drive their vehicles using near-field communication (NFC) technology. NXP was certified for the secure element and NFC chipsets within its digital key solution, facilitating access and starting of a car with an NFC-enabled device.
The Digital Key certification ensures that the NFC-based access features of a digital key solution meet the highest security and interoperability standards.
“The security of digital keys has been touted as a top consumer concern since the technology’s inception and a universal standard is crucial to consumer trust and a consistent user experience,” said Jerome Legros, vice president, secure embedded transactions, at NXP. “As the first semiconductor supplier to be certified under this universal standard, we believe the quality and security of NXP’s integrated systems will help advance this rapidly growing market.”
Historically, proprietary implementations of digital keys lacked the necessary interoperability standards, slowing consumer acceptance. However, research from McKinsey & Company predicts that more than 90% of vehicles sold in 2030 will be connected, up from 50% today.
Alysia Johnson, president of the CCC, said, “Certifying digital key solutions at every point of the vehicle-to-device ecosystem is imperative as we work to increase adoption and build trust among consumers and the industry at large.” She also highlighted the collaborative effort of CCC’s members, including auto makers, device manufacturers, suppliers and technology companies, in achieving this milestone.
The CCC certification aims to build consumer trust and proven interoperability to improve user experience. Certification means companies can display the CCC Digital Key logo.
“The fact that our digital key is now the first product to receive CCC Digital Key certification underlines our claim to leadership in this area,” added Kai Barbehön, head of central control unit development for physical vehicle network and power supply at BMW Group. “We are looking forward to continuing our collaboration with CCC and regard the CCC Digital Key as an integral part of our current and future vehicle platforms.”
The CCC Digital Key certification program currently includes end-to-end interoperability testing and certifies NFC implementations. Future certifications will include Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) for remote commands and ultra-wideband with BLE for full passive entry capabilities, expected later this year.
