Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have signed an agreement with Samsung Electronics for a Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car service partnership.
The objective of the alliance is to enhance the connectivity between residential and mobility spaces.
Under this agreement, Hyundai and Kia customers will be able to remotely control digital appliances via touch and voice commands through their cars’ in-car infotainment systems. Conversely, they will have remote vehicle control via AI (artificial intelligence) speakers, TVs and smartphone apps to control various vehicle functions.
This is made possible through the organic integration of car services of Hyundai & Kia and Samsung’s Internet of Things (IoT) platform, ‘SmartThings’. Customers are expected to use it in various ways in their daily lives, enjoying uninterrupted connectivity experiences.
Typically, on a hot summer evening commute, a user can activate the ‘Home Mode’ to turn on the registered air-conditioner and air-purifier, start the robot vacuum and turn on the lights for a comfortable and pleasant living space. Alternatively, before going out, the user can initiate the ‘Away Mode’ to turn off unnecessary lights and start the robot vacuum to create a clean living space to return to, as well as pre-activate the vehicle's air-conditioning to a comfortable temperature.
In the case of Hyundai and Kia’s Car-to-Home service, users can register and use specific modes for each situation to minimise device operation while driving. In particular, location-based automatic operation, in addition to touch-screen and voice commands, will be implemented to provide more convenient service to customers.
In addition, electric vehicle owners can use SmartThings’ integrated home energy management service to check the energy usage of their home and vehicle and adjust the optimal charging times.
Hyundai and Kia plan to expand their Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services to overseas customers by linking the connected car platforms and Samsung SmartThings.
To achieve this, Hyundai and Kia will develop stable service-providing infotainment systems and subsequently provide these features through over-the-air (OTA) and USB-based updates even for existing vehicles.
“This is an opportunity to make the connected car’s Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services more convenient in various fields,” said a release quoting Haeyoung Kwon, Vice-President of Hyundai and Kia’s Infotainment Development Centre. “We plan to accelerate our technology development to continuously make global Hyundai and Kia customers’ journeys meaningful,” he added.
“This collaboration will enable communication from Home-to-Car and integrated home energy management services that are optimised for future lifestyles,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice- President at Samsung Electronics. “By connecting the SmartThings platform with vehicles, we’ll be able to significantly enhance the customer experience in both the home and the car,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hyundai and Kia have already been providing Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services through collaborations with telecommunication companies and construction companies. The Car-to-Home service — previously available for six items, including lighting, plugs, gas shut-off valves, ventilation, air conditioning and boilers — and the Home-to-Car service for vehicle air-conditioning, remote start and charging management will be expanded to support connections with a wider range of devices through this partnership.
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