I can’t speak for the women, but we men regularly contort our bodies into painful shapes reaching into a trouser pocket for coins to pay for stuff while we’re driving. Approaching the Dartford Crossing as I do every few weeks, it’s a regular thing as I grapple for £1.50. Not the safest way to be, but it’s hard to prevent…
Or is it? It could be a thing of the past, according to automotive component firm Delphi. It’s just unveiled a new keyfob technology which means you’ll simply hold it up to a reader on the toll plaza to make the payment. Don’t worry, you won’t have to stop your engine. In the future Delphi is imagining, all cars will start simply by detecting the fob is in the cabin, rather than having a key pushed into the ignition barrel.
It’s developed round a technology called Near Field Communication (NFC), and I was present at a demonstration a few days ago. It’s just a chip that fits inside the fob, and by holding it up to something – in this case, the payment system on a toll plaza – it will take payment from your account.
The other NFC feature will be that if you have a smartphone, you will be able to download data about your car direct to the handset by holding the two together. How many miles have I done? How much fuel have I used? Are all the windows done up? You will be able to see this stuff, in real time, on your phone. Clever, eh?
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