Alps Alpine and Giesecke+Devrient Jointly Develop Wireless Digital Key System Based on CCC Specification

Alps Alpine Co., Ltd. and global security technology group Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) have jointly developed a wireless digital key system compliant with the standardized global specification released by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)1. With a view toward inclusion in new vehicle models for 2025, automakers will be targeted with sales promotion activities employing demos.

The automotive industry is currently undergoing a major transformation characterized by the emergence of CASE (connected cars, autonomous driving, sharing and services, and electrification) and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) domains. Vehicles, themselves, are expected to become just one component within an ever-expanding range of mobility services that consumers will grow accustomed to, like car sharing. These trends will push up demand for smartphone-based wireless digital key systems that eliminate the need for the physical transfer of car keys. The flipside is they will necessitate high-level security providing protection from cyber attacks or theft of keys by malicious third parties. Development, too, is increasingly complex as systems integrating locking/unlocking are required for a broad range of services ancillary to mobility, not just automobiles.

For a wireless digital key system to be officially selected for a vehicle model, it typically needs to comply with the CCC global standard already widely adopted especially among premium vehicles in Europe. Smartphone manufacturers must also take steps to achieve compatibility with the CCC specification. The specification incorporates the kind of advanced security technology employed for credit cards and mobile payment and demands extensive knowledge and advanced expertise within automotive communication devices and communication security fields.

Alps Alpine has undertaken development of a variety of communication modules and remote keyless entry systems for automobiles, applying RF technology the company has built up over many years from around the time of its founding. Drawing on this experience, Alps Alpine has been developing wireless digital key systems since 2018. A system based on blockchain technology developed through a partnership with FreeBit Co., Ltd. comes with onboard units and key delivery technology, as well as key management systems and smartphone apps for administrators and users. Demonstration testing of the system as a corporate fleet management solution is underway using actual vehicles.

G+D creates innovative security solutions for the reliable protection of analog and digital payment transactions, the digital connectivity of people and machines on the Internet, the protection and management of identities, and secure digital infrastructures. As a major player in automotive telematics, G+D has established industry’s first Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) 2solution. The company possesses technology for developing high-level security architecture compliant with the CCC’s global standard specification, as well as experience with wireless digital key systems. Having already introduced a system primarily for emerging electric vehicle manufacturers, G+D is the leading provider for Digital Car Keys (DCK) in China.

In December 2020, the two companies commenced joint development of a wireless digital key system compliant with the CCC’s global standard specification, tapping their respective strengths. G+D’s role is to develop secure digital key issuance and management systems for servers. Alps Alpine’s tasks are to develop the keyless entry system, comprising communication modules for vehicle-to-smartphone connectivity and an electronic control unit (ECU), as well as a software development kit3 enabling key generation and storage on smartphones. It will build the G+D-developed systems into a service to be made available to customers, and manage and administer the servers once they are up and running.

The system will be presented to potential customers using demos, with a view toward inclusion in new vehicle models for 2025. Steps are being taken to accommodate Digital Key Release 3.0, the latest version of the CCC specification, and to support specifications developed by leading smartphone manufacturers. A range of key locking/unlocking solutions outside the automotive domain but ancillary to getting around, such as for personal mobility or homes, will also be put forward to help enhance comfort and security in the mobility sphere.

1. The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) is a cross-industry organization advancing standardization of technologies and interoperability certification processes for vehicle-to-consumer device connectivity solutions.
2. Cars capable of Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) make use of two independent eSIMs simultaneously, one is typically reserved for telematics services and eCall whereas the other is for the passengers' purpose, for instance infotainment.
3. A software development kit is a single package combining programs, documentation and other components needed to develop software supporting a particular system.

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