Connected Car News: LG Innotek, Volvo and HaleyTek

ANDThe connected car segment includes LG Innotek, Volvo and HaleyTek.

LG Innotek Digital Key

LG Innotek (CEO Moon, Hyuksoo) is preparing to become the leader in the automotive communication components market with its cutting-edge “digital key solution.”

The digital key is being highlighted as a next-generation car key that can be used to open, lock and start a car using a smartphone connected to the vehicle using wireless communication technology. Users will no longer need to carry a separate car key, eliminating the worry of losing it. And since the car can only be started using a smartphone connected to the digital key, the risk of theft is low.

With the recent growth of the ride-sharing industry, including car sharing and car rental, the demand for digital keys is growing. According to global research firm Persistence Market Research, the digital car key market is expected to grow more than fourfold, from 3.0167 billion dollars in 2023 reaching 11.3813 billion USD in the year 2033.

LG Innotek has been continuously improving the performance of its products since the launch of the first “Digital Key Module for Vehicles” in 2021. Now, the company has developed a “Next-Generation Digital Key Solution” that significantly enhances passenger safety and convenience.

This product is a package of not only a digital key module with an installed antenna and circuits, but also a digital key software. It puts the company in a very favorable position in the automotive communication components market.

• Killing three birds — location accuracy, security, and compatibility — with one stone

LG Innotek’s “Next Generation Digital Key” solution leverages the unparalleled capabilities of wireless communication technologies that the company has accumulated over the past 40 years.

It is equipped with short-range communication technologies, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra Wideband (UWB). UWB is a wireless communication technology that uses a wideband frequency that is less susceptible to interference than BLE. This technology plays a key role in accurately measuring the location of a smartphone connected to a digital key. It is complemented by the company’s proprietary algorithm that accurately detects the smartphone’s location to within 10 cm. This industry-leading performance is expected to significantly reduce the failure rate of existing digital keys.

Based on short-range wireless communication, LG Innotek’s “Next-Generation Digital Key” solution is much more secure than the existing solution currently available on the market. This is because the risk of remote hacking cannot be ruled out due to the wide range of the long-range communication method used.

In particular, the product is equipped with the company’s independently developed wireless intrusion prevention technology to ensure that the digital key function can only be activated by a smartphone authorized by the user. This solves a security problem that has been identified as the biggest vulnerability of connected cars.

In addition, it complies with the latest standards of the “Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)”, a global organization that standardizes digital keys. It can be used regardless of country, terrain or vehicle type and is compatible with a wide range of smartphones. It is also designed to be interoperable with both iOS and Android operating systems, enhancing user convenience.

Furthermore, the “Next Generation Digital Key” solution is equipped with an in-house developed radar that provides additional features that enhance safety and convenience.

An example is the “Child Presence Detection (CPD)” function in the event of a child being left in a vehicle. Radar immediately detects the child’s movement or breathing and sends a real-time alert to the user’s smartphone.

In 2022, 33 children in United States lost their lives due to heatstroke after being left alone in a car. To prevent similar accidents in the future, United States AND Europe plans to introduce mandatory CDP systems in cars in 2025.

Most importantly, LG Innotek’s “Next-Generation Digital Key” solution is the smallest in the industry. More than 60 BLE and UWB wireless communication components and modules, including RF (radio frequency) and power devices and internally developed software, are packed into a solution smaller than a business card. This provides differentiated customer value, including greater design freedom.

• ANDto mass production in 2027: “It will solidify its position as a leading company in the automotive communication components market”

LG Innotek has scheduled mass production of its “next-generation digital key solution” to begin in 2027 and is actively promoting it to customers around the world who are purchasing completed devices.

In addition, it is accelerating its efforts to capture the automotive communication components market with the second-generation “5G-V2X communication module” it developed last year. The company recently won an order for the module from a global automaker and expects to increase its vehicle communication module sales volume this year by more than fourfold compared with last year.

LG Innotek CEO Moon said, “LG ​​Innotek will continue to promote automotive communication components based on its unrivaled wireless communication source technology as the core pillar of its electronic components business.” He added, “We will continue to showcase products that offer differentiated customer value and solidify our leadership position in the global automotive communication components market.”

CARX sells stake in Haley Tek AB to Volvo

CARX Holdings Inc. (“ECARX” or the “Company”), a global mobility technology company, today announced that it has sold its 40% minority stake in HaleyTek AB (“HaleyTek”), a joint venture between Volvo Car Corporation (“Volvo Cars”) and ECARX formed to develop software for Android-based infotainment systems, to Volvo Cars.

ECARX will continue its collaboration with Volvo Cars and HaleyTek as a wholly owned subsidiary of Volvo Cars, developing technology solutions aimed at enhancing the driving experience in cars manufactured by Volvo Cars and related brands such as Polestar.

Since HaleyTek was founded in 2021, ECARX, HaleyTek and Volvo Cars have collaborated to develop a world-leading software stack and computing environment for in-vehicle infotainment solutions, initially aimed at delivering best-in-class experiences for the next generation of Volvo Cars and Polestar vehicles. The benefits of this collaboration can already be felt in vehicles on the road today.