The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), a cross-industry standards organization dedicated to advancing vehicle-to-device connectivity solutions, today announced a major milestone in the CCC Digital Key™️ Certification Program: automotive manufacturer BMW Group and semiconductor manufacturer NXP® Semiconductors have become the first two organizations to earn CCC Digital Key certification. BMW Group was certified for their comprehensive digital key product, which allows drivers to use their CCC Digital Key enabled smart phone to lock, unlock and drive their vehicle utilizing near-field communication capabilities (NFC). NXP was certified for the secure element and NFC chipsets within their digital key solution, which enable accessing and starting of a car with an NFC-enabled device.
The CCC Digital Key Certification signals that the NFC-based access use cases of a digital key product meet the CCC’s highest requirements for secure and interoperable vehicle-to-device access, two of the most significant barriers to widespread consumer adoption. Historically, many proprietary implementations of digital keys lacked the interoperability standards needed for the technology to be fully leveraged, which slowed consumer acceptance. But recent research from McKinsey & Company showed that more than 90% of vehicles sold in 2030 will be connected, up from 50% today. As connected cars continue to gain in popularity, it’s imperative that all aspects of the vehicle-to-device ecosystem align with a universal standard and enable consumers to leverage the full benefits.
“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. Since launching the CCC Digital Key Certification Program in December, our entire membership, spanning automakers, device manufacturers, suppliers, and technology companies, has played a role in reaching this milestone so quickly,” said Alysia Johnson, President of the CCC. “We’re proud to designate BMW and NXP implementations as CCC Digital Key certified and look forward to seeing the CCC Digital Key logo on additional implementations, whether in vehicles, devices, or other technical components, soon.”
Three of the many CCC Digital Key Certification benefits include:
- Enhanced security to instill consumer trust: Receiving the CCC Digital Key Certification builds credibility among consumers, partners, and stakeholders and affirms a manufacturers digital key implementation is secure and reliable.
- Proven interoperability to improve user experience: The CCC Digital Key Certification ensures global compatibility of products and services for a seamless experience when using CCC Digital Key, regardless of car or device.
- Greater brand confidence to drive future growth: Once certified, companies can display the CCC Digital Key logo on their product implementations, social media, and marketing materials. This signals a commitment to meeting the highest industry standards and increases the potential for new customer growth.
“The security of digital keys has been touted as a top consumer concern since the technology’s inception and universal standard is crucial to consumer trust and a consistent user experience,” said Jerome Legros, Vice President, Secure Embedded Transactions, at NXP. “As a charter member of the CCC, NXP has long been on the forefront of enabling trustworthy and reliable vehicle-to-device access through NXP’s Secure Element technology. 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.”
The CCC Digital Key Certification Program currently includes end-to-end interoperability testing and certifies NFC implementations. Those who are certified or pursuing certification will also have access as the CCC expands to certify for Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE), which enables remote command, and ultra-wideband with BLE, which provides full passive entry capabilities. These additional certifications will be available later this year.
“We continually work to provide our drivers with the best experience possible, and ensuring our digital key is interoperable through the CCC’s Digital Key certification is a key component of those efforts,” said Kai Barbehön, Vice President of Development Central Control Units, Wiring Harness, Power Supply at BMW Group. “We look forward to continuing our work with the CCC and consider the CCC Digital Key as an integral function of our current and future vehicle platforms.”
For more information on the CCC Digital Key Certification Program or how to become a member, please visit www.carconnectivity.org.
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 Group, CARIAD, DENSO, Ford, General Motors, Google, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, NXP, Panasonic, Samsung, Thales, and Xiaomi. For more information, visit www.carconnectivity.org.
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