Hyundai asks Google for help on creating its connected car
LAS VEGAS: At the current Consumer Electronics Show (CES) here , Hyundai is offering the first demonstrations of how it plans to integrate its cars and their controls with Google’s smart home platform.
Hyundai has been quick to adopt advances in the consumer electronics industry for the benefit of its customers.
For example, it was one of the first car makers to offer support for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
And now it is also one of the first mainstream carmakers to make the connection with Google Assistant on the Google Home platform.
“Our customers are finding smart home integrations like the one we are showcasing with Google Home to be very useful and convenient,” said Manish Mehrotra, Hyundai Motor America’s director of digital business planning and connected operations.
Managed via the company’s existing BlueLink app, users will be able to send verbal commands to their car from the comfort of their homes, as long as they’re within range of the Google Home speaker.
To begin with the instructions will be simple such as pre- setting the cabin temperature based on the weather forecast or checking on charging levels if the car is a plug-in hybrid.
However, this integration also removes a layer of digital bureaucracy.
You’ll be able to ask Google assistant to recommend a good local restaurant, for example, and then to send the related navigation instructions direct to the car’s display.
“We will continue to add layers of convenience to the Blue Link connected car system and our cars, making features like remote EV charge management, remote locking, temperature and remote start easier than ever while sitting on the couch and saying ‘Ok Google’.” — Relaxnews