Ford contactless vehicle access card will have an integrated e-ink display using RFID or NFC to unlock and start a vehicle and receive updated information about its status, location and other features.

The automotive giant Ford has unveiled a new access card in its patent filing. The contactless card will have an integrated e-ink display showing the vehicle information (e.g. fuel level, battery charge and diagnostic information).

The benefit of a new Ford card model is that the e-ink display is thin and flexible, allowing for the card device to be smaller and cheaper. At the same time, such a display is very energy-efficient. Its low energy use enables integrations with cards that have little or no internal battery capacity.

Some use cases described in the patent include showing information such as the year, make and model of a vehicle, access permissions granted to the user, vehicle maintenance requirements, card expiry dates, vehicle’s fuel/battery status, parking location and instructions for tap-based gesture commands available.

Besides, the integrated radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology will enable Ford customers to open and start their vehicles in a contactless way.

Keyless and contactless access is one of the best new car technologies, using an electronic lock that controls access to a vehicle without a traditional mechanical key or even a key fob.

The company plans a range of handy features for its innovative access card, including linking multiple vehicles to a single card or the use of the card with rental vehicles.

We have earlier reported that Mercedes and Mastercard launched embedded in-car biometric payments authorized via fingerprint sensors.