Skip to main content

German companies collaborate on electronic vehicle identification

German internet of things (IoT) provider Kathrein has agreed a global collaboration on electronic vehicle identification with Tönnjes EAST, a German licence plate manufacturer. Both companies have been working together on the development of new technologies using Kathrein’s expertise in RFID technology combined with Tönnjes EAST’s experience in the integration of transponders into vehicle licence plates or windscreens. Their joint portfolio includes Kathrein’s latest RFID reader, the RRU4500, which h
September 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
German internet of things (IoT) provider Kathrein has agreed a global collaboration on electronic vehicle identification with Tönnjes EAST, a German licence plate manufacturer.


Both companies have been working together on the development of new technologies using Kathrein’s expertise in RFID technology combined with Tönnjes EAST’s experience in the integration of transponders into vehicle licence plates or windscreens.

Their joint portfolio includes Kathrein’s latest RFID reader, the RRU4500, which has a read range of up to 20 metres and enables the reliable identification of vehicles in free-flow motorway traffic up to a maximum speed of 250 km/h.

Tönnjes uses RFID technology in two systems, the IDePLATE, a vehicle licence plate with an integrated RFID chip and the IDeSTIX, a windscreen sticker containing a data chip with an encrypted ID number.

In order to ensure the IT security of the transponder data, the two companies use UCODE DNA, the latest generation of high security transponders from NXP Semiconductors. The decryption takes place directly between the transponders and the Kathrein readers. These are a new kind of combined RFID reader-writer and IoT gateway, which means that the data can be loaded directly into a Cloud and used from there.

The partners offer a turn-key solution, which includes implementing the technology on motorways, in low emission zones and toll roads, as well as establishing and operating central database solutions for authorities and providers.

Related Content

  • May 13, 2014
    Q-Free’s ALPR demonstrates high read, low error rates
    Q-Free’s German OEM partner VMT Düssel has recently installed its VideoScan automatic licence plate reader (ALPR) system at the entrances to Phantasialand theme park in Brühl, Germany, in an effort to provide the park with an insight to the type of visitors, their geographic distribution and pattern of returns. Q-Free’s Intrada ALPR software is integrated into the system’s video processing server for video and image handling; video captured by the VMT VideoScan installed on the entry lanes is sent to the
  • January 9, 2018
    Smarter transport remains key to smart cities
    Colin Sowman looks at some of the challenges and solutions that will provide enhanced transport efficiency in tomorrow’s smarter cities. However you define a ‘smart city’, one of the key ingredients will be an efficient transport system. As most governments and city authorities face financial constraints, incremental improvements in the existing systems is the most likely way forward. In London, new trains and signalling are improving the capacity of the Underground but that then reveals previously
  • September 19, 2018
    NXP drives safe and secure mobility
    NXP Semiconductors, the world's largest supplier of automotive semiconductor solutions, is once again demonstrating its latest innovations for enabling securely connected, self-driving cars here at this year’s ITS World Congress. Visitors to the company’s stand will experience the latest NXP solutions for the ITS market. A highlight of the showcase will be latest generation of its DSRC-based V2X solution. NXP says its RoadLink SAF5400 is the world's first automotive qualified, high-performance single-chip
  • April 20, 2021
    Rain to support RFID tech in Europe
    RFID tech can be applied to EVI and access control into low-emission zones