Johnson Controls and Marquardt units in the United Kingdom and Germany respectively have combined to develop a prototype keyless access and start system called passive access and start system (PASS) and integrate it directly into the body control module.

Loick Griselain, executive director, product management, Johnson Controls, explains that a driver carries an identification device that enables him or her to enter or start the car without using a key. The system identifies the user and unlocks the doors or the trunk as soon as the user approaches the car. Aseparate PASS controller is no longer needed.

Griselain says that integrating PASS directly into the body control module reduces the complexity and, thus, the cost of the system. It streamlines the electrical architecture and simplifies testing.