Look Mom, No Keys!

Volvo Cars Corp. has developed a new smartphone application designed to eliminate the need for traditional car keys.

The Bluetooth-enabled app will enable users to use a phone or other wearable device to lock and unlock doors, open the trunk and start the engine. Electronic keys for multiple vehicles can be stored on a single device, and users can send their code to other people as needed.

Many carmakers already offer ways to remotely perform such tasks via mobile apps. But Volvo claims its system is the first to eliminate the need for a physical key to be present to drive the vehicle. The company announced the system earlier today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Volvo will test the technology this spring in a pilot program with a car-sharing firm at the Gothenburg airport in Sweden. Next year the company plans to offer the digital key technology in a limited number of commercially available vehicles. Physical keys will continue to be offered for customers who want them, the carmaker says.

Tesla offers a mobile app that essentially serves as an emergency backup for drivers who have lost or forgotten their keys. The system requires users to enter multiple passwords, depress the brake pedal and shift into gear within two minutes.

Watch a video demonstrating the Volvo system here.