Drivers want contactless digital car keys

More than half of drivers worldwide are interested in using virtual car keys to access and start their vehicles (54%) and the global virtual car key market share is predicted to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 21.8% over the course of the decade, according to a Straits Research forecast.

The added security offered by virtual car keys and keyless entry systems, growing user awareness of the need to protect their vehicles, and the implementation of solutions using secure technologies including NFC, ultra wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are among the key drivers of this growth, the researchers say.

Due to the significant adoption of keyless entry systems in the US, primarily in passenger automobiles and light commercial vehicles, North America accounted for the second largest market with a share of US$500m in the global virtual car key market, according to the report.