Ford announced at the 2016 CES show in Las Vegas it was “exploring” linking smart devices like Amazon Echo and Wink to its vehicles to allow owners to control lights, thermostats, security systems and other features of their homes from their car, and to stop, start, lock, unlock and check their vehicle’s fuel range remotely.
The automaker said it was working to link the home automation devices with its vehicles through its SYNC platform. It said half of consumers will buy at least one smart home product in the next year, citing Icontrol Networks.
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“Consumers increasingly want to stay connected to their homes while on the move,” said Ford’s head of connected vehicle and services, Don Butler. “Linking smart devices like Amazon Echo and Wink to vehicles via SYNC would fulfill that desire, and allow consumers to connect with their vehicles even when they aren’t behind the wheel.”
Ford already has 15m SYNC-equipped vehicles worldwide and expects 43m by 2020. Amazon Echo and Wink connectivity are part of Smart Mobility, the automaker’s next step in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience, and data and analytics.
SYNC Connect and Amazon Echo
Ford is looking to use new SYNC Connect technology to link vehicles with the Amazon cloud-based voice service Alexa, which would allow customers to access their vehicle from inside their home. Using a hands-free speaker and voice command device that interfaces with Alexa, car owners could request assistance with various functions of their car including:
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By GlobalData- Start/stop the vehicle
- Lock/unlock
- Range and charge status of an electric vehicle
- Check fuel level/miles-to-empty
- Vehicle mileage summary
- Vehicle location with street name and driving time/mileage home
While at home, an owner would experience an interaction such as this:
Owner: “Alexa, ask my Ford for my scheduled car start time.”
Alexa: “Here is the list of your current go times. You have a start time set for Monday at 7am, with a cabin temperature set to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Tuesday at 5:45am with a cabin temperature set to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Owner: “Alexa, ask my Ford for my car’s driving range.”
Alexa: “You have an available range of 56 miles.”
Alexa also provides a link to a variety of Internet-enabled smart devices, such as lights, home security systems and automatic garage doors.
From inside the vehicle, a driver would access Alexa through the steering wheel-mounted voice recognition button, allowing the driver to make requests of connected smart devices or functions including weather reports, music and shopping lists.
On the move, a driver could ask and receive answers to the following:
“Alexa, is my garage door closed?”
“Alexa, turn my porch lights on.”
“Alexa, when is my next appointment?”
SYNC AppLink and Wink
Ford also is working with Wink, the smart home platform that brings together smart home devices from many different companies. Compatibility with SYNC AppLink enables Wink users to easily control and automate their smart home device on the dashboard of their car or through voice control.
For example, a driver nearing home could have the option to either press a button or say a command that opens the garage door, turns on the lights, and unlocks the front door.
“Connecting homes and cars is all about making life easier and convenient for our customers,” added Butler. “As smart homes and smart cars continue to evolve, SYNC technology makes it easy to implement features that will make life better and more convenient for our customers.”
