The universal contactless reader chip from the LEGIC 4000 series is a central element in the range of innovative mobility services provided by the BMW Group: At DriveNow, the carsharing service from the BMW Group and Sixt SE, the use of keys is now unnecessary due to the contactless data transmission and NFC (Near Field Communication). BMWs and MINIs from the DriveNow fleet can now be opened and locked with the help of a contactless credit card and the LEGIC reader chip.
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the BMW Group presented its latest development together with MasterCard: Opening the vehicle by simply holding out a BMW credit card to subsequently use it . The universal, contactless reader chip from the LEGIC 4000 series is a central element of this. All BMWs and MINIs from carsharing provider DriveNow are now equipped with a multi-card reader based on the LEGIC 4500M chip, which facilitates contactless communication between a card and the vehicle.
Decision made for LEGIC
The 4000 series reader chip from LEGIC Identsystems AG supports all leading RF standards, including NFC and now also BLE. Maximilian Krautwig, the project engineer for the development of mobility services of the BMW Group, explains that the universal uses of the LEGIC reader chip were a fundamental reason for the decision to develop the multi-card reader for the DriveNow carsharing fleet. He adds that the NFC function, in particular, offers attractive usage scenarios in addition to the use of a wide range of RFID card technology.
NFC opens car doors
The NFC chip is fitted into both the DriveNow customer card and the BMW credit card. NFC is a radio standard for data transmission over short distances, transforming a card into a car key. The rented vehicle opens as soon as the card is held close to the sensor on the windscreen. A green smiley signalises the correct identification of the driver, ensuring access to the car.
DriveNow
DriveNow, the carsharing service by BMW and the rental car company Sixt, offers premium BMW and MINI vehicles for use in international metropoles using the free-floating principle. The cars can be booked within a defined business district, irrespective of the station, and then reparked. Registered leisure or business customers reserve the car they want through the DriveNow app or website for a multitude of uses. They can open the vehicles with the app or with their customer card. This can now also be done using a BMW credit card.