Hyundai has committed to becoming the world’s first auto manufacturer to ship cars that open and start without any keys or smartphones whatsoever. The 2019 Santa Fe SUV will use fingerprint sensors for its door locks and ignition.
A technology has to be very mature before auto manufacturers will build it in, particularly to replace such a critical component as the key or key fob. So you can take this news as a ringing endorsement that the fingerprint sensor has come of age. Hyundai’s press release doesn’t say what additional entry methods will be available as backups, but you can assume there’s a key fob or smartphone option as well. Letting your friends drive it would be a pain in the butt otherwise.
But it certainly seems possible that the days of losing your car keys may be numbered. Or to put it another way, if you lose the keys to a 2019 Santa Fe, the car will be the least of your problems!
Hyundai begins replacing car keys with fingerprint scanners [New Atlas]