Will BMW car keys be replaced by mobile phone apps?

Reuters reports that BMW might just leave conventional car keys behind and replace it with phone apps. Ian Robertson, BMW’s board member responsible for sales, said that the German automaker is already reviewing the necessity of car keys. The fact that customers now all carry a smartphone and the availability of a BMW App which allows customers to unlock their vehicle, has made old fashioned keys less relevant.

“Honestly, how many people really need it,” Robertson said in an interview at the Frankfurt car show, explaining that customers no longer had to put the key in the ignition to make the car start. “They never take it out of their pocket, so why do I need to carry it around?,” Robertson said, adding that the company was looking at getting rid of keys altogether.

“We are looking at whether it is feasible, and whether we can do it. Whether we do it right now or at some point in the future, remains to be seen,” Robertson said.

However, there are still some technical issues to solve before this can push through. The mobile phone should always have Internet connection and this poses a problem. The more feasible solution would be the use of Bluetooth LE or near-field communications (NFC). The Tesla Model 3 is the first production car to remove the key entirely by using the Bluetooth Low Energy standard and NFC keycards to unlock or start the car.