Remote cashless payment, settings storage for total vehicle personalization, and a host of other potential functions, all stored in one convenient place – your car keys. This is what the BMW Research and Technology team came up with in its prototype multifunction car key.

“As part of our research project we first integrated a security chip into the key casing, which communicates across short distances by radio with a card reader,” says project manager Hans-Jörg Vögel. Not only will the car key be viable for car owners’ cars, the key can also be applicable to BMW rentals. The team also envisions the chip for use in other modes of transportations in the future, such as buses, trains, and airplanes.

Aside from being able to load a driver’s personalized settings, remote credit card access can also be enjoyed in the security of one’s own car. Handling of payment and other credit card functions can be done while stuck in traffic, if the prototype sees market application.

Prof. Raymond Freymann, BMW Group Research and Technology director, says that BMW is “working on ways of linking up vehicle technology and lifestyle.” This multifunction car key is a good step toward that direction.

Source: Lethistorylive