Press Release
Virtual Key Service for Car-Sharing Companies:
D'Ieteren and Continental Form Joint Venture
 The technology company and the automotive service provider form a joint venture for the
development and implementation of various car-sharing services
 OTA keys, headquartered in Brussels, provides worldwide services for fleet and carsharing operators
 Joint venture's applications illustrate opportunities from the broad spectrum of future
services in the field of intelligent transportation systems (ITS).
Regensburg/Brussels, March 12, 2015. Growing interest in alternatives to conventional car
ownership is triggering a boom in car-sharing services. To realize these new car and vehicle
services as convenient and secure as possible, the international technology company Continental
and the Belgian automotive service group D'leteren have formed a joint venture to develop and
implement various car-sharing services. The joint venture is called OTA keys. It is named after the
new company's largest product area: purely virtual car keys that are transmitted and used
wirelessly via cell phones. This technology can be used for company fleets, car-sharing
companies, and car-rental agencies alike. The new company is headquartered in Brussels.
"Continental has more than 20 years experience in the development and production of electronic
car keys. We have been working on a purely virtual car key since 2008. OTA keys will enable us to
offer car-sharing providers, fleet operators and car-rental agencies a complete service package to
give customers a convenient, secure and even spontaneous driving experience," explains Andreas
Wolf, head of Continental's Body & Security business unit. "OTA keys is a clear sign of the diverse
opportunities that intelligent transportation systems will offer."
"As a service company in the automotive industry, we have been working for years on a range of
solutions to create easy to use and secure services. OTA keys broadens the options available to
us considerably and, above all, will give the end customer an exceptional experience: the ability to
drive away spontaneously with no bureaucracy whatsoever – with providers all over Europe
offering this service. Asia and America will be our next targets," explains Thibaut Cardinael,
managing director of OTA keys, coming from D'leteren.
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Your contact:
Sebastian Fillenberg, phone: +49 6196 87-3709
-2How the virtual key works
The heart of the OTA keys system is the virtual smartphone key. The smartphone exchanges data
with the vehicle using near field communication (NFC) or the energy-saving standard Bluetooth low
energy (BLE). The driver uses a smartphone app to book the required vehicle at his or her
convenience. The OTA keys system then sends an encrypted forgery-proof data record to the cell
phone. The virtual key is saved on the smartphone's SIM card. It contains the access authorization
for the required vehicle. Using the NFC or BLE standard, the cell phone transmits the data
(authentication, vehicle and diagnostic data, and user profile) to the reader in the car. This can be
integrated into the vehicle doors, for example. Another receiver inside the car verifies the virtual
key in the smartphone before the engine is started, and the vehicle is ready to go.
Thibaut Cardinael is confident that the new company can change the way how the everyday user
of different mobility services will interact with their vehicles. "We can offer fleet operators a range of
ways that will make the vehicles convenient and easy to use. The connected version via the virtual
smartphone key is the most advanced version. This shows what can be realized with intelligent
connectivity, secure data transmission and a high-performance backend."
One app makes new mobility concepts quick and easy
OTA keys provides its customers with the necessary digital infrastructure. This also includes an
app for the end customers' smartphones, which is tailored to the requirements of the respective
fleet or car-sharing operator. The user can use the app to find, select, and reserve available
vehicles. The smartphone can then even navigate the user to the car's location. It's even possible
to rent a vehicle spontaneously with the OTA keys service. In this case, the user only needs to hold
his or her cell phone against the door of the free car and a virtual key is automatically generated on
the server. This virtual key is then sent to the smartphone once an availability check has been
done. The virtual key unlocks the car and, depending on how it is programmed, the app retrieves
further data on the condition of the vehicle, before becoming a user-friendly navigation system.
The OTA keys system has already proven beneficial. A pilot project was completed in Toulouse
and a car-sharing fleet in Monaco is now the first to use the system developed by OTA keys.
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Your contact:
Sebastian Fillenberg, phone: +49 6196 87-3709
-3Cheaper, more secure, and therefore more practical: the virtual key in practice
While most car-sharing fleets currently still rely on systems that combine all intelligence within the
vehicle, the OTA keys system uses smartphone intelligence and only requires NFC or BLE
technology within the car. This approach has many benefits. The main advantage is the
considerable reduction in costs. By using a virtual key, investment per vehicle can be reduced
significantly.
The second major advantage of the virtual car key from OTA keys is its exceptionally high level of
security. It works in the same data space and according to the same principles as the payment
functions that are stored on an increasing number of cell phones, and therefore meets banks' strict
requirements. In addition, data is only synchronized between the cell phone and vehicle in an
encrypted format. The user is not inconvenienced by these security procedures, quite the opposite.
This makes the system easier to use than ever.
Outlook: from the virtual car key to the personal mobility manager
And this is just the beginning, since the OTA keys system is freely scalable and can be easily
expanded to include new functions at any time. For example, it will also be possible in the future to
save personal vehicle settings on the virtual car key. The system already enables automatic
Bluetooth pairing with the cell phone. This could also be used in the future to transmit favorite radio
channels or seat preferences so that the driver instantly feels at home in a short-term rental car.
The digital key from the joint venture of Continental and D'Ieteren also provides all the features
necessary for use in other modes of transport. This way, OTA keys is also a forerunner of the
diverse opportunities in the field of intelligent transportation systems, which Continental identifies
as a growth market.
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Your contact:
Sebastian Fillenberg, phone: +49 6196 87-3709
-4D'Ieteren is a group of services to the motorist founded in 1805, serving some 12 million corporate and end
customers in 34 countries in two areas:
- D'Ieteren Auto distributes Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Škoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche and
Yamaha vehicles across Belgium. It is the country's number one car distributor, with a market share of more
than 22% and 1.2 million vehicles of the distributed makes on the road.
Sales in 2014: EUR 2.7 billion.
- Belron (94.85% owned) is the worldwide leader in vehicle glass repair and replacement. Some 2,400
branches and 9,400 mobile vans, trading under more than 10 major brands including Carglass®, Safelite®
AutoGlass and Autoglass® serve customers in 34 countries. Sales in 2014: EUR 2.9 billion.
Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner,
the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe,
comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2014, the corporation generated preliminary sales of
approximately €34.5 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tires, and
ContiTech. Continental currently employs approximately 200,000 people in 53 countries.
Contact for journalists
Sebastian Fillenberg
External Communications Interior Division
Continental
Sodener Strasse 9
65824 Schwalbach am Taunus, Germany
Phone: +49 6196 87-3709
sebastian.fillenberg@continentalcorporation.com
This press release is available in the following languages: German, English
Links
D’Ieteren
http://www.dieteren.com
Online press portal:
www.continental-press.com
OTA keys
www.otakeys.com
Online video portal:
http://videoportal.continental-corporation.com/
Online media database: http://www.continental-mediacenter.com
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Your contact:
Sebastian Fillenberg, phone: +49 6196 87-3709