ARE TRADITIONAL CAR KEYS BECOMING OBSOLETE?
Soon, we might have an entire generation of drivers who don’t know what engine turnover feels like. That’s because, in the near future, most of the cars on the market won’t come with a traditional metal key. With the rise in popularity of key fobs and push-button start systems, using an actual key to unlock your car door and turn the ignition is becoming a thing of the past. But do these new technologies mean car keys as we know them will become obsolete? According to one expert, who shared this data with CNBC last year, an astonishing 91% of 2019 car models had keyless ignitions as a standard or optional feature. That was up from 72% in 2014. While older car models won’t suddenly cease to exist, figures like those indicate that one day in the future, cars with key ignitions will disappear. Key fobs and push-starts aren’t the only things giving car keys a run for their money, though. Automakers Tesla and Lincoln have pioneered the concept of using your smartphone as a key, which cuts any other electronic keys out of the picture. Since smartphones are an integral and nearly ubiquitous part of society, putting your car key on your phone seems like an efficient way to cut out the middleman.
However, smartphone keys have not been without problems. If someone’s phone dies, or they lose it, automakers still have to provide drivers with an alternative method to turn their car on — usually in the form of a key fob or key card. Because phones become outmoded faster than cars, making sure the virtual key technology stays compatible with the vehicle could also present challenges down the road. Nevertheless, we’ll probably see more and more keyless cars on the road. Luckily, that doesn’t mean your local locksmiths and car door-unlocking technicians at Pop-A-Lock won’t be able to help. We can replace or duplicate smart keys cheaper than the dealership, so if you need a new fob, just give us a call today!
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