By offering a card to open the doors and start the Laguna 2 without a key, in 2001 Renault launched a real automotive revolution. But this innovation will have taken a little time to be made reliable, and thieves were unfortunately able to exploit it at our expense.
Mentioning the Laguna 2 today invariably comes with a hint of mockery. Launched twenty years ago, in 2001, this wagon encountered so many problems thatshe almost ruined to her only Renault’s reputation for reliability! Today, however, the Losange tries to restore the image of this unloved by recalling that she was at the origin of the democratization of a major innovation: the hands-free key. If there had already been similar systems before it, they were indeed reserved for much higher-end models, such as the Chevrolet Corvette or the Mercedes S-Class.
An idea inspired by hotel badges
It is Bernard Dumondel, project manager of the model, who would have had the idea of this equipment while staying in a hotel in Luxembourg. By unlocking their room with a magnetic badge, he would have thought that the idea could very well be applied to the automobile. A prototype will then be created and arouse the enthusiasm of Renault’s general management, then chaired by Louis schweitzer. As in the hotel industry, the brand will go so far as to give its hands-free key, developed by the equipment manufacturer Valeo, the shape of a card. A choice that will not necessarily be taken up by other manufacturers. But the principle of operation will indeed spread to the entire industry.
Fine-tuned operation over time
Transceivers located in the vehicle communicate with the badge, which emits a radio signal containing a code when the holder approaches their car. If this code is correct, the locks are unlocked. Conversely, when the owner moves away, the computer interrogates the key at regular intervals and orders the lock to be closed if there is no response. At first, however, it was still necessary to press a button near the handle to open or close the doors, then insert the card into the center console to start. At Renault, it was not until 2007 and the Laguna 3 that the hands-free designation was fully deserved. The driver then only has to grab the handle to open his vehicle, then press “Start” to start it. An automatic unlocking is also ordered as soon as he leaves, with a small sound signal to reassure him. As for the risk of being stuck outside in the event of a battery failure, it is countered by the presence of a mini-key hidden in the card.
Improved reliability at the start
But if the practicality of this innovation has been universally appreciated, its course has not been a walk in the park. At first, its reliability is indeed questionable, and it will contribute to the poor performance of the Laguna 2. Simple parking neon lights could sometimes jam the signal. Many users also complain about the fragility of their card, which tends to break when they accidentally sit on it. Some even put him through the torture of the washing machine without doing it on purpose. Fortunately, the Rhombus will gradually correct the shot by strengthening the solidity, by improving the seal or by tracking down electronic bugs. On the other hand, there is another flaw, ultimately more serious, that neither it nor the other brands have really succeeded in eradicating: the vulnerability of these systems to offenders.
A gateway for thieves
Today, the majority of car thefts are indeed carried out without breaking and entering, by simply intercepting the signal emitted by these hands-free badges often inexpensive devices. It is thus possible to steal a vehicle in a few seconds sometimes, in all discretion. A plague against which there is no miracle cure: we can simply advise you to park preferably in a private car park or a closed garage, to block your steering wheel using an anti-theft stick and possibly to slip your key into a RFID-proof pocket when not in use. Will the gradual democratization of unlocking using a smartphone, launched this time by Tesla, make it possible to stem the phenomenon? There is nothing to confirm this, and Renault does not intend to abandon the hands-free card anytime soon: it considers the two technologies as complementary and thus continues to offer this equipment on its electric Mégane E-Tech.
