Hertz Trial Uses RFID Cards Instead of Keys

For the duration of the rental, the RFID-enabled membership card functions as a car key. The customer uses the card to lock and unlock the car by placing it within a few inches of the windscreen’s RFID antenna. Should the customer turn off the engine for more than a few minutes, the engine immobilizes and will not restart until the customer places the card near the windscreen reader once more.

"At no point does the car lock itself without the customer actually closing the doors and presenting the card to the windscreen reader," Trimm says. "This is done to avoid a situation where a customer forgets his or her card in the car and would then be locked out for good."

An onboard computer, attached to the rear view mirror, verifies that the customer is picking up the correct car, unlocks the vehicle’s doors and asks if the driver has a valid license.

Customers taking part in the trial also have the option of accessing a kiosk in the Hertz rental office. Equipped with a printer and an RFID reader, the kiosk can print rental information directly on the back of a customer's membership card. Using erasable thermal ink, the kiosk prints such information as the car’s rental and return dates, license plate number and parking lot location.

Participants selected by Hertz are provided details about the trial and how the system works. They can then use a special Web site to book their Hertz rental cars in Nice.

The system utilizes RFID-enabled cards and readers from Geneva-based smart card specialist Icomsat.

Hertz says it has already received anecdotal praise from customers who have tried the new service, but that it plans to review the results of the proof-of-concept trial later this year. That could be followed by the extension of the trial to other airport locations throughout Europe.