Ford patents a smartphone case that turns your phone into a key fob — Ford Authority — “Ford Motor Company was just this week granted a patent on a new type of smartphone case with all the necessary integrated electronics to allow the phone to function as a vehicle key fob… The device would communicate with the encased smartphone through the Bluetooth or NFC (Near Field Communication) protocols, the patent says, giving the user access to a virtual keyfob on the smartphone’s screen.”
Automotive
Nissan drivers to use Amazon Alexa to unlock their vehicles
NissanConnect Services skill for Amazon Alexa — Nissan — “Forgot to lock your vehicle? Looking to remotely start your Nissan to heat it up or cool it down before you get in? The NissanConnect Services with Amazon Alexa skill allows you to connect with and control your Nissan vehicle, or vehicles, as quickly and easily as having a conversation… With NissanConnect Services with Amazon Alexa, you can use your voice to remotely start your Nissan, unlock your doors or flash your lights.”
BMW ‘is reviewing the necessity of car keys’
BMW says car keys may be replaced by mobile phone apps — Reuters — “BMW is reviewing the necessity of car keys, Ian Robertson, the company’s board member responsible for sales told Reuters. The fact that customers now all carry a smartphone and the availability of a BMW app which allows customers to unlock their vehicle has made old fashioned keys less relevant.”
UBS backs Car eWallet project that lets vehicles make their own payments
Secure payments ‘on the go’ with blockchain technology from ZF, UBS and IBM — IBM — “Auto manufacturers, technology companies, suppliers and mobility service providers are all driving the development of driverless cars. To support autonomous driving, however, these vehicles require a digital agent that can independently carry out tasks and authorize payments without the owner or user having to be active themselves.”
Deutsche Telekom to deploy smart parking and payments across the German city of Bonn
Mobile network operator Deutsche Telekom has signed a deal with the city of Bonn to install a network of sensors that will alert drivers to available parking spots and enable them to pay for their space using their mobile phone... More
Meet the car key that’s also a contactless payment card
Meet the car key that’s also a contactless payment card — Techradar — “DS Automobiles has just launched the UK’s first contactless payment car key. Made for the DS 3 Connected Chic, the key works with Barclays’ bPay platform, allowing you to ‘top up’ the clever key with credit that can be spent at any shop that offers contactless payments.”
NXP and Changan Automobile to cooperate on infotainment and future vehicle technologies
NXP and Changan Automobile to cooperate on infotainment and future vehicle technologies — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — Changan Automobile is one of China’s largest car manufacturers and the first Chinese company to achieve long-distance self-driving… Changan will apply NXP’s vehicle-to-x (V2X) communication, near field communication (NFC) identification, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and joint R&D to further transform automobiles into mobile information hubs.”
ST offers technical guidance on deploying NFC readers
An in-depth presentation on STMicroelectronics’ ST25R NFC reader family that sets out the technical requirements for integrating NFC services in a wide variety of markets including payments, access control, connected homes and automotive applications is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
ExxonMobil adds credit card issuance to mobile payments app
Motorists using oil and gas company ExxonMobil’s mobile payments app can now apply for the ExxonMobil Smart Card credit card directly through the app... More
More than 22bn secure elements shipped with GlobalPlatform technology
Some 41% of all secure elements deployed globally between 2010 and 2016 were based on GlobalPlatform specifications, totalling 22.018bn, the standards body has revealed... More
World’s first car made from bio composites makes global debut
World’s first car made from bio composites makes global debut — Plastics Today — “To complement Lina’s sustainability, she is equipped with several high-tech features. For example, near field communication (NFC) technology implemented in her doors is used to detect and recognize different users, making the vehicle highly suited for car-sharing platforms.”
Feds look to experimental light-field cameras to ID drivers at the border
Feds look to experimental light-field cameras to ID drivers at the border — The Verge — “Developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the request of US Customs and Border Patrol… The system draws on light-field sensor arrays to mitigate the glass barrier, allowing cameras to focus past the reflections on the windshield to the faces of the drivers and passengers.”
New CSA report offers observations, recommendations on connected vehicle security
New CSA report offers observations, recommendations on connected vehicle security — Cloud Security Alliance — “The paper will provide a ‘big picture’ view of the various aspects of vehicles and infrastructure components to better understand their interrelationships, dependencies and threats to the traffic ecosystem.”
Phillips 66 unveils new mobile platform at Momentum Conference
Phillips 66 unveils new mobile platform at Momentum Conference — P97 Networks — “The new platform will connect retail fueling consumers to Phillips 66, Conoco, and 76 locations through a mobile app using a dynamic station finder, enabling a mobile payment wallet and delivering contextual commerce digital offers… The ‘Mobile Connect Experience’ is driven by P97’s PetroZone.”
Iowa smartphone driver’s licenses expected to launch in 2018
Iowa smartphone driver’s licenses expected to launch in 2018 — The Des Moines Register — “Iowans should be able to start downloading their driver’s licenses onto smartphones in about 12 to 18 months, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.”
Seat and Saba promote the creation of the connected car ecosystem
Seat and Saba promote the creation of the connected car ecosystem — Seat — “The partners are studying the way to offer a mobile reservation and payment system for parking spaces… The collaboration lays the foundation for projects like Parkfinder 2.0, which will enable both companies to offer drivers real-time information on which parking spaces are available and recommend a car park according [to] the real needs of each client.”
Gemalto powers Daimler’s NFC car keys for Mercedes E-Class
PARTNER NEWS: German car manufacturer Daimler’s smartphone-based digital vehicle key for its Mercedes-Benz E-Class range that lets drivers lock and unlock their cars as well as start the engine using an NFC device is being supported by digital security giant Gemalto’s Trusted Services Hub (TSH). More
Canadian city rolls out mobile app that links payments for parking to a driver’s licence plate
Drivers across the Canadian city of London can now pay for parking at more than 3,100 spaces across the city — including all municipal parking lots and on-street spaces — using a mobile app that lets them “seamlessly search, pay for and top up parking from their phone or tablet”. The service is being rolled out by the City of London. More
Esso customers get mobile payments and rewards at 1,000 Canadian gas stations
Motorists across Canada can now pay for fuel and car washes as well as accumulate loyalty rewards using a mobile payment service that is being rolled out by fuel retailer Imperial Oil to 1,000 Esso-branded gas stations nationwide. More
NXP signs deals to add NFC to cars
PARTNER NEWS: Five “leading car OEMs” are to integrate NFC technology from NXP into cars to enable a variety of secure interactions including vehicle access, Bluetooth and WiFi pairing, personalization and payments, the chip maker has announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona... More