Toyota develops 'Smart Key Box' to make car-sharing easier
Toyota has announced the invention of a device called the Smart Key Box which will allow vehicle owners to earn extra cash by renting out their vehicle when they are not using it. The device is designed to sit on a car dashboard, and allows the vehicle to be unlocked via an access code on an app. No modification to the vehicle is required as when the smartphone holding the access code is brought near the vehicle, the code is authenticated via Bluetooth, allowing the vehicle to unlock and the ignition to start. The new technology will be used in a pilot as part of the Japanese automaker’s recently announced collaboration with US car-sharing service Getaround.
Toyota is jumping into the increasingly crowded car-sharing market, and it’s doing it with a flair for innovation that helps explain why it’s the world’s biggest auto seller. The company invented a Bluetooth-enabled device called the Smart Key Box that allows users to unlock and start the engine of a car using just their smartphone.

Here’s how it will work: a vehicle owner who wants to make some money on the side lending their car to other people can install the Smart Key Box on their dashboard, no modification needed. The car-share customer is sent a code via an app to access the box. When the smartphone is brought near the vehicle, the codes are authenticated via Bluetooth — Toyota calls it a “handshake” — similar to regular smart key. The time and period when the user can access the Smart Key Box is set and managed by Toyota, based on the vehicle reservation.

Toyota calls it a “handshake”