The men’s 100 metres final at last year’s Olympic games in Athens was all over in just ten seconds. That’s just how quickly some car thieves can break into most cars. Matthew Beecham, author of a new study from ABOUT Automotive, reports.
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The apparent ease and speed in which car crime occurs puts increasing pressure on the major car lock manufacturers to introduce ever more complex locks with increasing amounts of electronics. The emphasis is therefore on ‘value-added’ locking systems, which incorporate more functions to enhance comfort, such as central and double locking, child safety devices and, most recently, passive keyless-entry systems.
Assuming the driver is carrying the right card, passive entry systems basically allow him or her to open their car door without fumbling for a key. Although Renault was the first to use a ‘keyless system’ in the mass car market, the driver still has to push the card into the dashboard. In some ways, there is not a lot of difference between using a card and a key. In the Mercedes-Benz S Class, for example, the card stays in the driver’s pocket and some clever electronics do the rest. That is where the real benefits are. Although typically used in luxury vehicles, this technology is permeating downwards. In fact, passive entry can already be found in vehicles such as the Nissan Micra and due for launch on the Vauxhall Astra next year.
But how fast could this market grow? Could passive systems follow a growth curve similar to that shown by remote keyless entry?
Valeo expects to see fast growth of passive entry worldwide, especially in Europe. Valeo reckons that because this is a ‘comfort and convenient’ complement to the remote keyless entry, the growth curve will be a little bit slower than remote.
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By GlobalDataHella expects a ‘significant’ roll-out of passive entry systems through this decade. Dr.-Ing. Tilmann Seubert, Manager, Advanced Electronics Development division for Hella, said: “It will not be as quick as keyless systems for several reasons. First, some customers may not become as familiar with the intuitive dealing with the hands-free tag. Second, the cost of electronics infrastructure — antennas, switches and locks — and functionality — relay attack and bi-directional communication — is higher than for a normal RF remote control. Third, hands-free represents a transfer of added value from the car manufacturer to the supplier.”
Intier predicts the most promising market for passive entry systems to be in the family car segment. Eckehard Betz, Executive Director of European Operations for Intier, said: “The people most likely to pay for the convenience of this product are the family segment, where the parent with their arms full of groceries or kids could walk to the car without fumbling for a keyfob or set of keys. Equally, people who quite often approach the vehicle with their hands full of just about anything will find this feature attractive. Intier anticipates growth in this market segment, as we are capable of integrating this technology into our complete closure system, which provides an opportunity for reduced costs. Most of the peripheral devices within the system are already enabled for passive entry, including Intier Automotive’s integrated latch actuator for future global application.”
Given that the driver can now jump into and start the car without using a key, are we likely to see the resurrection of push-button ignitions? All the signs certainly seem to be there. Push-button ignitions already appear on many of Renault’s models that have either the Keyless Car with Renault Card (put card in slot and press start button) or the Hands Free Renault Card (all models excluding Clio, Kangoo and Modus). BMW recently offered three different cars with a push-button starter. A few years ago, the Z8 roadster was offered with a button to start. In addition, the current 7 Series and recently launched 1 Series both benefit from a push-button starter.
“Vehicles with smart key systems either use a push-button starter or a turn control starter [similar action to turning an ignition key but without a key inserted],” said a spokesman from Toyota Europe. “A smart key system must have a method of operating the starting circuit and switching the ignition on. Lexus currently use the push-button style. It is likely always to be necessary for at least one door to have a mechanical method of unlatching the door, in case the vehicle battery is discharged, the smart key battery is discharged or the electrical system of the vehicle or card is damaged in some way. For safety and convenience it must always be possible for the user to open the vehicle, to access bonnet or boot release for battery recharge for instance.”
In addition to push-button engine starts, there have been all sorts of concepts and possibilities exhibited in the last few years, such as PIN codes (PSA Peugeot Citroën) and cards (Renault). Fingerprint ID may even be developed for production cars. Indeed, fingerprint identification systems are said to be moving fast these days. Siemens VDO is already equipping the Audi A8 with its fingerprint technology. But because the technology is new and still not foolproof, it is tied to personalisation features such as radio and climate control pre-sets, not critical functions such as door locks or ignition. “Another point is the social acceptability of such a solution which inevitably reminds people of police arrest/interrogation. This is a major inhibition factor in the growth of this solution,” said a spokeswoman for Valeo. But for the time being, the key looks like it will remain the dominant system. ArvinMeritor executives say that fingerprint technology is only suitable for use inside the vehicle. An ice covered or muddy car can restrict access to the fingerprint sensor.
Given high-tech satellite communication wizardry such as OnStar, could we potentially see such technology unlock our cars and start them, too? Ward Randall, business development manager for Siemens VDO Automotive, said: “Our product development engineers are discussing scenarios in which functionality embedded in our next generation PASE Plus could interact with other systems within the vehicle, such as OnStar, for instance.”
Now let’s get really crazy. Given that side door latches can be electronically actuated, does tomorrow’s car need door handles? Well, it is certainly true that door handles have changed shape many times over the last century. But we shall always need something to grab hold of to open the door. How this develops over the coming years – flush fitted, ‘pop-out’ levers or grab handles – remains to be seen. Also, the electrical locks need a mechanical support function in case they fail. Moving away from conventional door handles altogether requires a technology that, for the time being, is not available on the market. Another major consideration however is access to the car by the emergency services in the event of a crash. In this situation, the Emergency Services need to be able to forcibly open the door and a well-designed handle is the best way of achieving this. ArvinMeritor’s Gurbiuder Kalsi, said “The cars of the future do not need door handles if the access system can meet all the safety requirements in the event of electrical failure and crash. Today, most vehicle manufacturers are requesting mechanical back-up for failure modes, which may trap the user in the vehicle.”
Although the use of smart cards to access our vehicles has clear comfort and convenience benefits, how far should this technology go? Are we happy if such cards enable our garage gates to open, unlock the front door and activate the house lights late at night? But what if you lost the card? Would you feel safe at home then? While we cannot foresee a situation where personal information is contained on the key that could be used to ‘clone’ an owner, it is possible. As with all these technologies that combine or replace otherwise conventional functions, there are also risks involved. We would like to see a line drawn where we consider the risks higher than the apparent benefits. A spokesman for Volkswagen said: “In many ways it is similar to remote central locking, which some customers were apprehensive about when it first appeared. But now it is the accepted norm. As ever, the consumer will ultimately decide.”
While the idea of carrying a credit card-sized smart card to open and start the car is gradually gathering momentum, voice commands could soon enter the mass market. RSE Developments used the 2004 UK Mobility Roadshow to unveil its voice-activated ignition system, enabling disabled drivers to start their car without the use of an ignition key. Claimed to be the first of its kind in the UK, RSE’s so-called Start Technology is a modular system that can be adapted to start the engine in a variety of ways. In addition to the programmable voice-activated switch, drivers can start the engine by pressing the brake pedal, use an on/off switch or even a biometric fingerprint-read switch. One or a combination of these options can be used at any one time.
While voice activated engine start is already a welcome reality for some drivers, other biometric recognition systems such as face recognition, retinal scans, iris recognition to open the vehicle have some way to go before entering the market.
While push button ignitions certainly do appear to be making a comeback for certain models and marques, the jury is still out on whether or not they will take over from the traditional key and barrel system. While standard lock/key arrangements will not be phased-out overnight, we should expect thieves to take a little longer to fathom out how to steal our next car.
Further details on the automotive vehicle access and security market can be found in this exclusive new report published by ABOUT Automotive: Vehicle Access and Security Systems: trends, forecasts and companies.
