“Millions already enjoy the added convenience and security of biometrics in other areas, and we are now ready to enable this in their vehicles as well.” – Thomas Rex, VP, Fingerprint Cards

Fingerprint Cards has taken its first major step toward the automotive market, announcing a new biometric module designed specifically for vehicular integrations.

Called the FPC1021AP, the fingerprint sensor module is compliant with AEC Q100, an Automotive Electronics Council regulation pertaining to “Stress Test Qualification for Integrated Circuits”. In a statement announcing the solution, FPC asserted that it “has undergone extensive testing and verification,” and that it “is now ready for mass production and integration in vehicles in collaboration with leading module manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to automotive OEMs.”

FPC’s interest in expanding its business activities to the automotive sector has been building steam for almost three years now, and has likely been intensified as the mobile biometrics market that is the company’s mainstay has seen heavy saturation and declining average selling prices over the last year and change. The company announced partnerships with automotive sector players including Gentex and Altran earlier this year, but the announcement of FPC1021AP represents its first formal offering for the market.

Commenting on the development, FPC VP Thomas Rex called it “an important step in bringing the benefits of biometric solutions to the automotive industry,” adding, “Millions already enjoy the added convenience and security of biometrics in other areas, and we are now ready to enable this in their vehicles as well.”

The company says it expects to see the first development projects involving FPC1021AP to start next year.

(Originally posted on FindBiometrics)