VCTC Kicks Off Plugfest to Advance Digital Keys by Enhancing Ultra-Wideband Technology

In partnership with the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) and its membership, Volkswagen Group (China) Technology Company (VCTC) is hosting a collaborative Plugfest to test and advance UWB technology and strengthen digital key security.

HEFEI, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a recent McKinsey Mobility Consumer Pulse survey, a majority of respondents, especially those in China, noted they are very likely to buy connectivity features in their next vehicle. In an effort to continually advance connected car technology, VCTC today will host a collaborative Plugfest to test digital keys in partnership with the CCC, a leading automaker and smart device standards group. Through this work, VCTC and the CCC, alongside the CCC’s global membership of automotive and device manufacturers, aim to advance ultra-wideband (UWB), a critical technology that is working to enhance car connectivity to meet consumer expectations and demands.

“We continue to see the demand, especially from Chinese consumers who want and expect car connectivity features like digital keys. So, it’s important we’re working inside the CCC to develop an unparalleled technology standard that is both easy to use, and reliably secure,” said an expert from VCTC. “Working in a global collaborative environment helps us accelerate UWB implementation, more effectively move through the complexities of the technology, and bring them to market faster.”

UWB will be a focus for this event as it adds another layer of security to the CCC Digital Key™ standard and enables fully passive entry when built on top of the existing BLE and near field communication (NFC) technologies. This is an important step to driving digital key adoption as utilizing UWB, BLE, and NFC technologies creates the most complete solution possible, ensuring security and performance without compromise.

“By continuing to advance the CCC Digital Key technology, we see a future of a digital key that can tangibly drive the connected car industry forward,” said the President of the CCC, Alysia Johnson. “We thank our host, VCTC, for supporting a crucial event like this one, especially in China, so we can continue to test and advance CCC Digital Key technology and bring the best solutions to a global market.”

As a testament to the CCC’s robust and comprehensive approach to security, it recently received verification from the renowned German Federal Office of Information Security (BSI) for its CCC Digital Key Applet Protection Profile, becoming the only digital key application to receive this security designation. With this BSI certification, mobile phone and vehicle OEMs from all over the world that are CCC Digital Key certified can trust their digital key implementations allow users to securely and safely access their vehicles.

The CCC Plugfest is a crucial platform for its members to refine their CCC Digital Key applications, enhancing implementations, specifications, test suites, and tools. This week’s Plugfest will last through Friday. To learn more about the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), please visit our website.

About the Car Connectivity Consortium:

The Car Connectivity Consortium® (CCC) is a cross-industry organization advancing technologies for smartphone-to-car connectivity solutions. The CCC represents a large portion of the global automotive and smartphone industries with more than 200 member companies. The CCC member companies include smartphone and vehicle manufacturers, automotive tier-1 suppliers, silicon/chip vendors, security product suppliers, and more. Its Board of Directors includes individuals from charter member companies Apple, BMW, CARIAD, DENSO, Ford, General Motors, Google, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, NXP, Panasonic, Samsung, Thales, and Xiaomi. For more information, visit www.carconnectivity.org.