Passive entry/passive start systems and methods for vehicles

A system comprising:

• a communication gateway in a vehicle configured to establish a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication connection with a portable device, the BLE communication connection having a connection event during which information is exchanged between the communication gateway and the portable device;
• a plurality of sensors configured to communicate with the communication gateway and configured to communicate with the portable device using impulse radio (IR) ultra-wide band (UWB) communication, the communication gateway being configured to instruct the plurality of sensors to perform two-way ranging using IR UWB communication with the portable device based on the information exchanged between the communication gateway and the portable device during the connection event;
• a localization module in communication with the communication gateway and configured to determine a location of the portable device based on the two-way ranging performed by the plurality of sensors;
• and
• a passive entry/passive start (PEPS) system configured to receive the location of the portable device from the localization module and to perform a vehicle function including at least one of unlocking a door of the vehicle, unlocking a trunk of the vehicle, and allowing the vehicle to be started based on the location of the portable device.