Automotive Industries interviews Bahar Sadeghi, Technical Director, Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)

As the global automotive industry shifts rapidly toward software-defined and connected vehicles, digital innovation in vehicle access and operation is taking center stage. At the forefront of this transformation is the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), a cross-industry organization driving the development of the Digital Key™ – a standardized solution that enables drivers to securely access and start their vehicles using a smartphone or other mobile device.

In this exclusive interview, Automotive Industries speaks with Bahar Sadeghi, Technical Director at the CCC, about the Consortium’s latest advancements and the expanding capabilities of the CCC Digital Key™ Certification Program. With the recent integration of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies alongside existing near-field communication (NFC) functionality, the program is redefining the user experience with enhanced precision, security, and seamlessness.

Sadeghi explains how BLE and UWB not only enable passive entry and passive start functionalities but also significantly boost security through advanced proximity detection and distance verification. These features bring digital key technology closer to delivering a true hands-free experience—one that’s as secure as it is intuitive.

A key focus of the CCC’s work is interoperability—ensuring that digital key solutions work reliably across a wide spectrum of car models, smartphones, and operating systems. Sadeghi highlights how rigorous certification testing, collaborative plugfests, and technical specification alignment help ensure smooth communication between devices from different manufacturers, delivering a consistent and secure experience for users around the world.

The interview also explores the robust security architecture behind CCC Digital Key™, which leverages hardware-based protections like the Secure Element and digital wallet encryption, along with privacy safeguards that prevent user identity tracking during vehicle interactions. Sadeghi emphasizes that these design choices provide peace of mind for consumers while empowering flexible use cases, such as cross-platform key sharing and remote access revocation.

Looking ahead, Sadeghi sees digital key technology evolving beyond simple key replacement to support more complex mobility scenarios, such as fleet management, car sharing, and smart infrastructure integration. Through collaboration with organizations like NFC Forum, Bluetooth SIG, and the FiRa Consortium, the CCC continues to promote a unified, scalable approach to digital key deployment—helping pave the way for broader industry adoption and a frictionless mobility future.

Join us as Bahar Sadeghi shares insights on how the CCC is enabling the next generation of vehicle access technology—and why standardization, security, and user-centric design are key to unlocking the full potential of connected mobility.

Automotive Industries interview with Bahar Sadeghi, Technical Director, Car Connectivity Consortium

Automotive Industries: Hi Bahar, The CCC Digital Key™ Certification Program has now expanded to include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) technologies. How do these additions enhance the overall functionality and user experience compared to the previous NFC-only certification?

The expansion of the CCC Digital Key™ Certification Program to include Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) significantly enhances both the functionality and user experience beyond what was possible with just near-field communications (NFC). Originally, NFC enabled core use cases such as tap-to-lock/unlock and tap-to-start, providing users with a convenient and secure way to access and operate their vehicles.

With the addition of Bluetooth LE and UWB, we’ve unlocked new, seamless user experiences like passive entry and passive start. Bluetooth LE detects the user’s proximity to the vehicle, allowing the car to respond as the user approaches. UWB builds on that by precisely localizing the user (whether they’re near or inside the vehicle) adding an extra layer of accuracy and security to these interactions.

By certifying all three technologies, we ensure that CCC Digital Key™ implementations remain interoperable across a broad range of smart devices while maintaining the high level of security consumers expect.

Automotive Industries: Interoperability is a key focus of the CCC Digital Key™ Certification Program. How does the CCC ensure seamless communication between vehicles and devices from different manufacturers?

Interoperability is a core objective of the CCC Digital Key™ Certification Program. To ensure seamless communication between vehicles and smart devices from different manufacturers, the CCC defines a comprehensive specification that covers all technical aspects required for compatibility, including the interfaces and message exchanges between a vehicle and device. When both parties build to this specification, interoperability is baked in by design.

Member companies also participate in CCC- plugfests, where they conduct interoperability testing with implementations from other vendors. These collaborative events provide valuable opportunities to validate functionality and identify issues early in the development cycle.

The certification program itself includes rigorous end-to-end testing to confirm that implementations not only meet the technical spec, but also work reliably across a broad ecosystem of devices and vehicles. This layered approach helps ensure consistent, secure, and seamless user experience, regardless of the combination of brands involved.

Automotive Industries: Security is paramount for digital key technology. What measures has the CCC implemented to resist hardware- and software-based attacks and ensure consumer data protection?

The CCC Digital Key™ Certification program includes several layers of protection to ensure robust security and data privacy. At the core is the use of a Secure Element on the mobile device, where the Digital Key applet resides. All credential storage and security-critical functions are handled within this isolated hardware environment, which is designed to withstand both hardware- and software-based attacks.

The underlying communication technologies also support secure operation. NFC’s short-range nature helps reduce the risk of interception, while UWB’s secure distance measurement protects against relay attacks by ensuring that only devices in close proximity can initiate vehicle access or start.

To safeguard user privacy, the mobile device’s identity is never exposed to the vehicle during interactions. This prevents the possibility of tracking or linking digital key activity to specific users.

Additionally, the Digital Key is stored in the device’s digital wallet – just like a credit card or boarding pass – and benefits from the same high-level encryption and security protocols. This gives users a familiar and trusted framework, reinforcing confidence in the system’s protection of personal and vehicle access data.

Automotive Industries: One of the exciting features of the expanded program is cross-platform key sharing. How does this work, and what are the main challenges in making this a universal capability?

Cross-platform key sharing enables users to securely share access to their vehicle with someone else, regardless of the mobile device or operating system they use. For example, imagine a mother who drives a car with a digital key stored in her iPhone. She can easily send that key to her teenage son, who uses a Samsung phone, so that he can head to a school function. If plans change or she wants to limit his access later, she can revoke the key remotely with just a few taps.

This kind of functionality adds everyday convenience and flexibility. Think of a friend visiting from out of town: you can share your digital key over email or text so they can borrow your car while you’re at work, without needing to meet up in person or hand off a physical key. For added security, the system may require a passcode to activate the key, which can be sent through any private channel.

Making this work seamlessly across devices and platforms does require significant coordination between automakers, mobile device manufacturers, and operating system providers. The CCC Digital Key specification is designed to address these challenges, ensuring secure, standardized behavior across a broad ecosystem, so that no matter the brand of phone or car, users can share access safely and easily.

Automotive Industries: With the inclusion of Bluetooth LE and UWB, how does the CCC Digital Key™ enhance the hands-free experience for vehicle owners?

The addition of Bluetooth LE and UWB technologies to the CCC Digital Key™ enhances the user experience by enabling truly hands-free vehicle access and operation. With BLE, the vehicle can detect when an authorized user is approaching, triggering keyless entry without the need for any physical interaction. UWB then adds an extra layer of precision, confirming the user’s exact location relative to the vehicle—whether they’re near the door or already inside.

This allows for a seamless passive entry and passive start experience. The driver doesn’t need to take their phone out of their pocket or bag – the vehicle automatically unlocks as they approach and starts once they’re inside, as long as the authorized device is present. Think of a parent approaching the car with their hands full, maybe carrying groceries in one arm and holding a child’s hand with the other. There’s no need to fumble for their phone as the vehicle unlocks as they approach the vehicle.

The hands-free convenience continues when leaving the vehicle. After parking, the driver can simply walk away, BLE and UWB work together to detect that the authorized device has exited the vehicle’s proximity, prompting it to automatically lock.

These advancements make everyday interactions with the vehicle more intuitive, secure, and efficient, reflecting the growing demand for frictionless digital experiences in mobility.

Automotive Industries: The CCC collaborates with organizations like NFC Forum, Bluetooth SIG, and FiRa Consortium. How does this cross-industry collaboration contribute to the standardization and adoption of digital key technology?

Collaboration with organizations like the NFC Forum, Bluetooth SIG, and FiRa Consortium plays a critical role in the CCC’s ability to support the standardization and adoption of secure, interoperable Digital Key technology. Each of these groups governs one of the key underlying wireless technologies (NFC, BLE, and UWB) used by digital key implementations. By aligning with their certification programs, the CCC ensures these technologies meet the specific performance and security requirements defined in its specification.

This cross-industry coordination strengthens the credibility of the CCC Digital Key™ Certification Program and promotes confidence in the ecosystem. It also helps accelerate the standardization process, reducing development friction for automakers, device makers, and technology suppliers.

Beyond the technical alignment, these partnerships increase industry awareness and foster a more unified approach to implementing digital key technology, ultimately paving the way for broader adoption across mobile platforms and vehicle brands.

Automotive Industries: How do you see digital key technology evolving in the coming years, and what role will the CCC play in shaping the future of connected vehicles?

Digital key technology is poised to evolve well beyond replacing the traditional car key. In the coming years, we expect it to support the full range of functions currently tied to physical keys while also enabling new use cases through deeper integration between vehicles and smart devices.

One growing area of opportunity is fleet and rental applications. Imagine a family from Shanghai arriving in France for vacation. Instead of waiting in line at a rental counter after a long flight, their car rental provider sends a certified CCC Digital Key™ to their smartphones as soon as they land. They can walk straight to their vehicle, unlock it, and drive off, all without a physical key exchange. This kind of experience reflects the direction the industry is heading: more seamless, secure, and software-enabled.

As digital key capabilities expand, so does the importance of a unified, standards-based approach. With a diverse membership that includes automakers, mobile device manufacturers, and technology providers, the CCC is uniquely positioned to drive standardization across the connected vehicle ecosystem. We see the CCC continuing to play a leading role in defining how vehicles interact not only with smartphones, but also with smart infrastructure, digital identities, and broader mobility services.

Automotive Industries: Given the rapid advancements in automotive connectivity, what are some of the biggest challenges facing the industry when it comes to widespread adoption of digital key solutions?

Widespread adoption of digital key technology comes with a few notable challenges. CCC members have cited regional regulatory differences and government security policies that can add complexity when deploying solutions globally.

There’s also acknowledgment that, while the security of the digital key solution is trusted, implementing it – along with achieving certification – requires significant technical effort and resources.

The CCC continues to address these challenges by promoting global standardization and working closely with its members to streamline implementation across markets.

Automotive Industries: How does the CCC ensure that its certification program aligns with the expectations and requirements of both automakers and end consumers?

The CCC ensures its certification program aligns with industry and consumer needs through its member-driven structure. Our specifications and certification requirements are developed collaboratively, with input from across the ecosystem, including automakers, mobile device manufacturers, and technology providers. This approach ensures the resulting standards reflect shared expectations around interoperability, security, and user experience.

Because the program is shaped by the people building and using the technology, it supports both technical rigor and real-world usability. There are already millions of devices and vehicles in the market today using the CCC Digital Key™ spec. A great example of this in action is BMW, which has implemented the CCC Digital Key™ in vehicles already on the road, demonstrating that the specification is not just theoretical, but proven at scale.

By continuing to bring together the right voices across industries, CCC can evolve its standards in step with market needs and ensure that certified digital key implementations meet the high expectations of both automakers and consumers.