Car Connectivity Consortium

CCC members (including Apple) Advanced Digital Key Initiative

Car Connectivity Consortium — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:11:30 +0000

Published in Apple World Today on June 30, 2023.

CCC Digital Key is a standardized ecosystem that enables mobile devices to store, authenticate, and share Digital Keys for vehicles in a seamless, secure and privacy-preserving way. Apple makes Apple CarKey, which allows you to add your car key to the Apple Wallet on your iPhone or Apple Watch.

Read the full article from Apple World Today here.

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Car Connectivity Consortium Reaches Membership Milestone as Auto and Device Makers Meet to Standardize Digital Key

Car Connectivity Consortium — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 13:11:58 +0000

BMW-hosted PlugFest gathered CCC members such as Google, Hyundai, and Samsung to continue testing CCC Digital Key as the universal interoperable standard.

BEAVERTON, Ore., June 29, 2023 – The Car Connectivity Consortium® (CCC) announced today that PlugFest #4, hosted by BMW, shifted gears to focus on Cross-Device Friend sharing and Bluetooth and UWB testing and brought together major automakers and device makers to help advance CCC Digital Key® in delivering a secure, effortless, and universal standard for vehicle access. The PlugFest event took place June 19-23, 2023, in Munich, Germany, and served as another critical step towards the advancement of the CCC Digital Key certification.

“A universal digital standard, like CCC Digital Key, is imperative if the market hopes to fully deliver on what both automakers and consumers expect to see from connected technologies,” said Alysia Johnson, president of the Car Connectivity Consortium. “The level of participation and commitment to innovation at this PlugFest event solidifies that vehicle OEMs and device providers are ready and willing to work together to bring a secure and universal standard for vehicle-to-device connectivity.”

In addition to the widespread collaboration at PlugFest, the CCC also recently hit 200 member companies, a significant milestone as it looks to foster collaboration across industries. This ongoing commitment and participation from so many vehicle OEMs and global device providers, including BMW, BYD, Comprion, Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH, Google, Hyundai Motor Company, Huf Hülsbeck & Fürst GmbH & Co., Marquardt GmbH, Mercedes-Benz AG, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, OPPO, Samsung, and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group speaks to the long-term value and unique opportunity the market has to increase interoperability, reduce market fragmentation, and provide a seamless user experience through a universal standard.

“Widespread adoption and success depend on all of us working together to share insights and improve our technical specifications, test suites and test tools,” said Lukas Ruemmelein at BMW. “The broad support for CCC Digital Key is clear, and we’re excited to see these PlugFest events continue to grow and evolve over time as we work to bring the technology to the larger consumer market.”

To learn more about the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), please visit our website.

About the Car Connectivity Consortium:

The Car Connectivity Consortium® (CCC) is a cross-industry organization advancing technologies for smartphone-to-car connectivity solutions. The CCC represents a large portion of the global automotive and smartphone industries with more than 200 member companies. The CCC member companies include smartphone and vehicle manufacturers, automotive tier-1 suppliers, silicon/chip vendors, security product suppliers, and more. Its Board of Directors includes individuals from charter member companies Apple, BMW, DENSO, Ford, General Motors, Google, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, NXP, Panasonic, Samsung, Thales, Volkswagen, and Xiaomi. For more information, visit www.carconnectivity.org.

Media Contact
Danielle Scotto
INK Communications for CCC
ccc@ink-co.com

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Looking Ahead: What to Expect from CCC Digital Key

vtmgrou — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 17:34:44 +0000

Automotive digital keys are poised for a rapid growth spurt. Persistence Market Research estimated the global automotive digital key market grew at a 4.4% CAGR from 2018 to 2022. But from 2023 to 2033, the firm forecasts an uptick at a 14.2% CAGR, with the market reaching over $11 billion.

There are several forces driving this boost in digital key adoption. Consumer demand is shifting, more and more, toward luxury, convenience, seamless access, and heightened vehicle security. At the same time, connected car technologies and shared mobility are growing in popularity — both of which open doors for greater digital key use.

Market Growth Calls for Technology Standardization

At this threshold of growth, the market needs collaboration and standardization among the automotive and consumer technology industries to future-proof vehicle access using smart devices. Most digital keys on the market are proprietary — working only with a specific automaker. If this trend continues, we risk further market fragmentation, weaker security, inconsistent user experiences, and a lack of interoperability.

For that reason, the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) brings together automotive and smart device manufacturers to collaborate on a universal standard for digital keys. The CCC Digital Key enables smart devices on any operating system to securely store, authenticate, and share digital keys that are compatible with a wide variety of vehicles.

The Future of Vehicle-to-Smartphone Connectivity with the CCC Digital Key

As a universal standard like the CCC Digital Key gains broader adoption, automakers, smart device manufacturers, and consumers can all expect to see certain advantages arise. These are just a few of the ways CCC Digital Key opens new levels of safety and access.

Protected in Case of New, Stolen, or Lost Phones: Unlike a traditional key fob, a CCC Digital Key can be terminated or suspended, then replaced on any compliant smart device. So, if a device is compromised or a user wants to upgrade to a new smartphone, the CCC Digital Key will remain secure and accessible to only the rightful vehicle owner.
Works Without Battery or Internet: Many proprietary digital keys on the market need an internet connection to function, which puts drivers at risk of losing access to their vehicles. The CCC Digital Key architecture allows for owner pairing and vehicle access without internet, ensuring a consistent and reliable experience. Even if a user’s phone shuts down because of a “dead” battery, many models still contain enough energy for several hours to operate Near-Field Communications, allowing the same level of access and security as when the device is fully charged.
Reliable Car Sharing, With Ongoing Work Toward Easy Rental and Fleet Use: Instead of sharing, renting, or assigning out a vehicle by providing a physical key fob, owners can share a CCC Digital Key with multiple users virtually as “friend devices.” These friend keys are still securely controlled by the owner, which means they can be easily suspended or terminated, but also allow for new capabilities, like limiting vehicle speed and geographic areas of operation.

Join the Next Phase of Digital Keys

The automotive industry is experiencing a paradigm shift with the emergence and growth of digital key technology. It must come together with consumer electronics to establish a standard suited for longevity in the market. The CCC Digital Key will benefit an extensive range of future consumers, as well as enable innovative new schemes for vehicle sharing. The CCC works closely with members to standardize and harness this type of connected-car technology to greatly enhance the driving and ownership experience.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member to collaborate with the CCC in building the standardization for this technology, please visit our member page here to learn more or contact us directly at admin@carconnectivity.org

Blog Authored by Michael Leitner, Vice President of Communications

Michael Leitner is the vice president of communications with the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and the senior director of smart car access at NXP Semiconductors. Michael also serves on the CCC Board of Directors. With over two decades of experience in product engineering and management in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, Michael brings a keen eye for developing the CCC to be the global leader in digital key. As vice president of communications, Michael leads the strategic development and market launch efforts of the CCC Digital Key, emphasizing its technical benefits and interoperability developed by the CCC membership.

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How secure is your vehicle with digital key technology?

Car Connectivity Consortium — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 22:56:16 +0000

Published in Help Net Security by Amber Pollick (CCC Ecosystem Working Group Chair) on June 15, 2023.

Digital key technology allows mobile devices to streamline approval for everyday access points, making it a fitting solution for the automotive industry.

While there are a few different approaches to implementing digital keys for automotive use, a secure digital key standard should utilize near field communications (NFC) and ultra-wideband (UWB) in combination with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to access a vehicle, start the engine, immobilize the vehicle, or authorize a variety of other operations.

A vehicle owner also can use their mobile device and share digital keys to friends or family with the option to place restrictions on shared keys.

A vehicle is one of the most expensive purchases a person will make in their lifetime, so while the benefits of digital key from a convenience and user experience standpoint are great, so may be the risk. To ensure consumer acceptance and support long-term adoption, we must first ensure digital key technology is secure and can effectively protect against the threat of attack.

Read the full article from Help Net Security here.

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Driving Towards a Connected Future: The Importance of Interoperability in the CCC Digital Key Standards

vtmgrou — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 17:27:06 +0000

The automotive industry is experiencing a digital renaissance, investing more in digital transformation than any other sector. ABI Research forecasts that automotive’ s investment in connected technologies will grow to over $238 billion in 2030, up from $100 billion in 2022.

As automakers outfit vehicles with more connectivity and digitalization, there’s a growing need among their customers for seamless and secure access to vehicles and services. Digital keys are helping to serve this need, but without a universal standard, won’t always deliver the same caliber of user experience and security. With this in mind, the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) is taking a leading role in developing a universal digital key, the CCC Digital Key, that can be easily integrated into various devices, systems, and services due to its interoperability.

Interoperability’s Legacy of Success

Interoperability is a critical benefit of developing widely used technology standards. Much like other wireless technologies that have become part of everyday life, the CCC Digital Key ensures interoperability by promoting seamless connectivity and integration across various smart devices and vehicles. In other words, a smartphone user could switch to a different brand, or a driver could switch to a different carmaker and a CCC Digital Key would still operate to the same standards.

Such specifications advance the digitization of automobiles because they enable streamlined integration, widespread adoption, and continuous innovation in automotive connectivity and user experiences.

Led by a membership of leaders in automotive, motorcycle, machinery, smart device and phone, and wireless industries, CCC Digital Key is a global standard that maintains brand identity while providing users with a uniform experience of security, privacy, and interoperability.

How Greater Interoperability Drives Greater Good

By improving interoperability in the digital key space, the CCC Digital Key adds value to consumers while providing cost reductions and a platform for innovation in the long run to vehicle manufacturers and their ecosystem partners. These are a few of the reasons why CCC’s Digital Key accomplishes this.

Widespread Adoption: Interoperable technologies can spread more quickly and easily because they leverage economies of scale in both development and production resources. Meeting and exceeding the capabilities of proprietary systems, they provide a growth path to implementors while also allowing freedom to innovate and maintain brand awareness. The entire ecosystem of stakeholders benefits, including the end consumer.
Enhanced User Experience: Car owners are often creatures of habit, and to introduce a new way of interacting with their vehicles, the experience needs to be valuable and simple. The CCC Digital Key accomplishes this by providing a convenient solution that eliminates the need for physical keys or multiple access methods while at the same time is interoperable across vehicle and phone brands.
Future-Proofing: The automotive industry is undergoing significant change with the adoption of new technologies and connected services. An interoperable digital key like the CCC’s solution ensures compatibility with future innovations, making it a more sustainable and long-lasting investment.
Increased Security: Security is a major concern for all technologies, but this is especially pertinent when it comes to the automotive industry and vehicle access. Interoperability can utilize standardized security protocols that can be implemented and tested across various platforms and in a wide variety of environments, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and ensuring the CCC Digital Key remains a trusted and reliable solution.
Cost-Effective: An interoperable, universal digital key standard builds economies of scale across the entire digital key ecosystem by eliminating the need for multiple proprietary systems. This contributes to significant cost savings for these stakeholders and consumers.

Help Define the Future of Vehicle Access

The CCC recognizes interoperability’s vital role in achieving a universal digital key standard and remains committed to ushering in a new era of convenience, efficiency, and security for the automotive industry.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member to collaborate with the CCC in building the standardization for this technology, please visit our member page here or contact us directly at admin@carconnectivity.org.

Blog Authored by Daniel Knobloch, Vice President

Daniel Knobloch is the vice president of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and the lead engineer for wireless ecosystems at BMW of North America. Daniel also serves on the CCC Board of Directors. Daniel has served various roles during his five years at the CCC including being chair of both the ecosystem and technical working groups, two vital components to the advancement of the consortium. In his previous role as president of the CCC, Daniel led the global vision of the CCC Digital Key and gathered industry experts to support the ecosystem of our member companies including major brands in vehicle and device industries..

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Car Connectivity Consortium vice president Daniel Knobloch reports on the future of digital car keys

Car Connectivity Consortium — Tue, 30 May 2023 20:08:01 +0000

Published in NFCW on May 26, 2023.

Daniel Knobloch, vice president of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and wireless systems architect at BMW of North America, has recorded an interview on the current status and future outlook for digital car keys for Contactless World Congress.

Vehicle manufacturers across the world are now working to bring contactless car keys that work seamlessly both on Apple and Android devices to all makes and models of both privately-owned and commercial vehicles, Knobloch tells NFCW editor Sarah Clark in the interview.

And, while it will take some time before every car is equipped with digital keys, the majority of vehicle makers are now planning, testing and building solutions, Knobloch says.

“I think, not too far in the future, we will reach this point that it’s a standard feature in cars,” he explains. Consumers will then have the option to buy “almost every car with that functionality”.

In the interview, Knobloch answers questions about the Car Connectivity Consortium’s standards and how they support NFC and ultra wideband (UWB) in combination with Bluetooth LE, the use cases and benefits of digital keys, and the current state of market readiness.

He also discusses the importance of interoperability, exceptional user experience and security in the development of digital keys, and explains that the adoption of digital keys by vehicle manufacturers is being driven by the ability to deliver a superior user experience.

Sharing digital keys between both Apple and Android device owners is of particular importance, he adds, not just among friends or family members but also for car rental applications and emerging use cases, including enhanced mobility services.

The main focus of the CCC’s work is now on interoperability, he adds, with Apple, BMW, Google and Samsung as well as Hyundai, Continental and Rivian all having participated in a recent Plugfest to test device and vehicle compatibility.

A recording of the full audio interview is available in the NFCW Knowledge Centre.

Read the full article from NFCW here.

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What You Need to Know About CCC’s Membership Levels and Benefits

Car Connectivity Consortium — Wed, 17 May 2023 17:33:16 +0000

The Car Connectivity Consortium is a membership driven organization comprised of companies in consumer electronics, vehicle OEMs, application vendors and others. Our members are engaged in our mission to come together as experts in their respective fields to share in a legacy of teamwork. There are three levels of membership, each of which has unique engagement opportunities.

Core Membership gives members in this level the opportunity to be a part of the development of specifications, white papers, and other critical deliverables. This membership level paves unlimited engagement within each Working Group and subgroup, both in a voting capacity and for leadership positions. Core members may contribute and have exclusive early access to all CCC documents prior to publication and have unlimited free certifications. For any company looking to make their mark in the connected vehicle arena, this is the access you will need.

For those companies seeking a way to keep close watch on CCC deliverables but not ready for full engagement, the Adopter Membership may be the right path. This level affords a path to observe at face-to-face members meetings, typically held three times per year. Adopter Members have access to completed and approved CCC deliverables and Certification Programs, with one free certification annually and additional certifications for a fee. Adopter Membership is a great entry into the CCC if you are new to the industry and looking to learn more about the organization.

For full engagement including within the governing leadership of the CCC, the Charter Membership level provides the opportunity to appoint participation on the Board of Directors and seek election to CCC Officer roles. Charter Member companies are very often actively engaged in multiple Working Groups and subgroups and have all the same benefits as Core Members within these groups and the Certification Programs. Charter Members are approved by the CCC Board of Directors.

Membership fees are based on annual revenue, and the details on fees and specific member benefits can be found here.

When you are ready to join our organization, you can find the Membership Application here.

If you have any additional questions, you can reach out directly at admin@carconnectivity.org.

We hope you consider becoming a member to help in driving forward CCC’s mission to provide future technology standards that will be used on smart devices and vehicles across the globe.

Blog Authored by Alysia Johnson, President

Alysia Johnson is the president of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC). Alysia first joined the CCC in May 2022 as vice president, bringing over two decades of experience as an operational strategist with a proven track record of growing the global impact of technology organizations. As president of the CCC, Alysia works closely with the Board of Directors and the membership community of over 200 member companies to direct a strong, sustainable vision for future technology standards that will be used on smart devices and vehicles across the globe.

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Ultra-wideband will turn your phone into a car key

Car Connectivity Consortium — Fri, 05 May 2023 16:19:16 +0000

Published in Stacy on IoT on May 2, 2023.

Are you ready to dump your car keys? To ditch the fobs, which have largely replaced physical keys, for your smartphone? Even if you’re not, the technology is coming, and with it, potentially other new features, such as the ability to detect children left in car seats.

At the end of March, a group of automotive and smartphone companies got together at a Google office to test out the Car Connectivity Consortium’s (CCC’s) Digital Key. The goal of the plugfest was to test out how well different phones and cars worked together to unlock and start vehicles using only a smartphone. Participants included Apple, BMW, Continental Automotive, Google, OPPO, Rivian Automotive, and Samsung.

This particular testing effort gets us closer to what has been a 5-year plan to use some kind of radio frequency technology to let users open and start their cars using only their smartphones. And because of the CCC’s efforts, the driver shouldn’t have to remove their phone from their pocket. The Digital Key standard would use a combination of Bluetooth and ultra-wideband and would work across a variety of different cars.

Today I can open my Tesla and drive it using the Tesla app on my smartphone, but it requires Internet connectivity, and the Tesla servers have to be working. Indeed, I’ve found myself stuck on more than one occasion, so I never leave home without my key fob. And Tesla’s solution is proprietary to Tesla. (Newer Teslas have a phone key that works using Bluetooth to open the car without having to open the app.)

A standardized digital key would work across all phones and most vehicles, making it easy for people to get credentials for their car on their handset and open their vehicle. This would be especially useful for rental cars or fleet vehicles. The digital key would also work locally without requiring internet access or an intervening server, which means you just need the phone and the car to work.

Other automotive members of the consortium include DENSO, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen. Daniel Knobloch, a vice president at the CCC and a wireless systems expert at BMW, said to me in an interview that a UWB version of a digital key was released in 2021 and that a few early adopters were asking a lot of questions about how it would work.

As part of the standardization process, the focus has been on security and ensuring that adding this feature doesn’t lead to more car thefts. Knobloch said that part of the standard included a dedicated and isolated chip in the smartphone to store the credentials for a car’s digital key. Other necessary elements for the standard include figuring out how to share keys for a vehicle among a group of users, how to transfer ownership in the case of a sale (or rental agreement ending), and how to localize the key either inside or outside of the car.

The standard uses precision location from UWB to figure out where a person is in relation to the inside or outside of the car and UWB plus Bluetooth to transfer the credentialing data during a secure session. Knobloch said that the other big challenge was getting the industry to agree on a standard for a digital key, but the CCC appears to be the winning choice. I would expect him to say nothing less, but the roster of carmakers is impressive.

Knobloch said that carmakers want this digital key to become a standard feature as opposed to something consumers would pay an extra subscription for. We’ve seen in recent years carmakers charge subscription fees for new tech features such as remote start or even heated seats.

He also said that once UWB radios are installed in new vehicles we might see new use cases for the technology. “As carmakers put the hardware in the cars, other use cases like child presence or gesture detection are a nice, low-hanging fruit, but from CCC’s perspective we’re really focused on the digital key ecosystem,” said Knobloch.

As for timing, Knobloch couldn’t say when consortium members will replace their fobs with digital keys, but as a consumer, he’s ready for it. He plans to give up a physical fob or key as soon as he’s able.

Read the full article from Stacy on IoT here.

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BMW Owners Can Now Unlock Their Cars and Start Their Engines With an Android Smartphone

Car Connectivity Consortium — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:09:01 +0000

Published in Autoevolution on April 24, 2023.

Most automakers focus on enhancing customers’ digital experience in their vehicles. For instance, some manufacturers, such as BMW, allow drivers to unlock their cars using only their phones via the BMW Digital Key Plus. The company announced the Digital Key Plus is now available on compatible Android devices.

The Digital Key was released three years ago, and the Digital Key Plus one year later. The former uses the NFC (Near Field Communication) mobile standard, while the latter works via UWB (ultra-wideband). Suppose you’re a BMW owner and have the company’s app installed. In that case, the vehicle will react automatically, just like it would with a classic vehicle key, and unlock the doors. Moreover, you can use it to start the engine without even taking the phone out of your pocket.

BMW Group collaborated with Google to develop this solution, establishing it as a global standard for the automotive industry through the CCC (Car Connectivity Consortium), the global driving force behind vehicle accessibility for all smart mobile devices.

Read the full article from Autoevolution here.

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CCC Advances Digital Key Keys

Car Connectivity Consortium — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:47:22 +0000

Published in Auto Connected Car News on April 9, 2023.

The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) announced that major players in the automotive and global smart device industries came together to advance CCC Digital Key, delivering a secure, effortless, and universal way for vehicle access. The event, CCC End-to-End Interoperability PlugFest #3, was hosted by Google, in San Jose, CA, on March 27-31, 2023 and is a milestone in the consortium’s advancement of the CCC Digital Key certification.

Major vehicle OEM members and global device providers including Apple, BMW, Continental Automotive, Google, OPPO, Rivian Automotive, and Samsung, were on hand to test their CCC Digital Key implementations. Test is a crucial step in launching the CCC Digital Key certification that will bring forth a true universal standard for the market, increasing interoperability, reducing market fragmentation, and providing the best user experience.

Read the full article from Auto Connected Car News here.

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