In everyday use, latest BMW vehicles can be locked and unlocked using a smartphone, NFC card, or the classic key fob. But what happens in exceptional cases when the power supply from the 12 V battery housed within the vehicle is insufficient to drive the door locks and the customer does not have their mechanical emergency key with them?
In such a case, alternative access solutions are needed. BMW specialists are looking for concepts for safe, secure and reliable access to the vehicle, which also works in case of completely draining of 12 V vehicle battery.
Modern BMW cars still have a mechanical lock on the driver door as fallback in case of a dead 12 V battery. The mechanical key for this lock is integrated in the key fob below a cover. This leads to an increase in size and weight of the key fob. In addition, the mechanic key raises the logistic handling effort during the car production.
In this challenge, we are seeking an alternative to the mechanical emergency unlock system. The alternative shall provide a smart possibility to unlock the car with the smartphone and/or car key with wireless communication although the car’s 12 V battery is dead.
Submissions to this Challenge must be received by Oct 31, 2021.
Source: NineSights