Volvo aims to become the first car manufacturer to replace a car's physical key with a smartphone app.
The Swedish carmaker has announced a pilot program in Sweden under which its cars will be keyless from spring 2016. It plans to make the system commercially available in 2017.
Keyless car technology will be unveiled for the first time at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, but in the meantime, Volvo has taken the time to show off this promo video showing off the new system.
Instead of keys, drivers will be given a mobile phone app that will allow them to unlock the doors and start the engine via a Bluetooth connection. Through the app, customers will also be able to use more than one “digital key”, meaning they can access different Volvo in different locations, depending on where they are.
While all of this may appeal to wealthy people with lots of cars, it could also be used in the car rental space. For example, when customers rent a car, they could receive a digital key on their smartphone that expires at the end of the rental period.
Additionally, you can share car keys more easily, since you could park your car somewhere and then send your digital key anywhere, to your spouse or friend, with the push of a button.
The concept of a “keyless car” is of course nothing new. Most modern cars have a remote-controlled key fob to open the doors, and the Tesla Model S has a system that allows drivers to start their vehicle via a mobile phone app and after entering a passcode, although this is designed more as a backup in case the driver loses their physical key.
Watch Volvo's video below:
