Wanna talk to your car? Try Valeo’s Smart Key

Posted October 2, 2008 at 08:36 PM by Jodie Andrefski

Section: Computers, Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Transportation

So, most of us probably already use the easy route of auto locks for our vehicle and the familiar “beep-beep” as we walk away is nothing new.  The thought of actually having to fumble around and (gasp!) insert a key in the lock is an almost foreign concept these days.  But the new smart key offers oh so much more than that.

From as many as several hundred yards, drivers are able to send information to their vehicle to set their seat position to just where they like it, program the radio to their favorite station, even exchange navigation destinations downloaded from a computer.  The key has a mini-screen which can display information like whether the vehicle doors are locked, if the alarm is turned on, how your tire pressure is doing, and whether you soon need to stop for gas.  Nice little reminder for those who tend to forget that rather important little tidbit.

No, that’s not all.  You can check if your windows are open, crack your windows, start the ventilation system, plus a bunch of the “boring stuff” like have it tell you your license plate number and VIN number, and how soon you’re going to need maintenance.  Information can even be exchanged between keys, which is useful is you have your kids borrowing them and you need to change the info you have programmed.

The Valeo smart key was displayed at the biennial Paris Motor Show which is held in Paris Expo in Porte de Versailles.  A pretty nifty little gadget, now all we need is one that drives the car for us.  No mention of price or availability at this time, stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.

Via [prnewswire] and [motortrend]