Hertz Experiments with RFID Cards on Their Cars

Filed in archive Implementation on August 12, 2006

Hertz is conducting trials using RFID in order to make renting of cars faster and convenient. For this purpose sixty special customers have been picked who are using RFID enabled frequent user cards in order to hasten up their car rentals at the at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in France. The trials are being conducted in order to provide a seamless travel experience for Hertz customers.

For the purpose of trials ten specially equipped Renault Megane cars have been selected and the trials are expected to run for six months. You wont need any help of the staff member/ Just walk up through the office to the car, accept the rental and drive away without any human assistance. After getting hold of the location of the car, go straight to the car and place your RFID enabled membership card within a few inches of the windscreen's RFID interrogator antenna.

On verification of the customer the onboard computer unlocks the vehicle's doors. Before driving away with the car a computer display screen attached to a real view mirror asks the driver for a valid license and in the event the answer is yes the immobilizer allows the car to be started.

This seems to be a good step taken by the company in order to offer more convenience to its customers but I am still skeptical about this as now even RFID enabled cars can be stolen and the biggest drama is that insurance companies fail to acknowledge this and compensate for it