Samsung is marching forward to improve its ecosystem of products and services. SmartThings, one of the world's biggest smart device platforms, is adding support for connected cars, including EVs (Electric Vehicles). Samsung has announced that it has partnered with Hyundai and Kia to bring connected car integration to SmartThings.
SmartThings can control and monitor electric cars from Hyundai and Kia
The South Korean firm announced its collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group today to expand the feature set of SmartThings. The two companies signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on January 3, 2024, to develop solutions integrating smart homes and connected cars. The smart devices platform will now support connected cards, including EVs.
The two companies are developing ‘Car-To-Home' and ‘Home-To-Car' services in addition to home energy management features. The ‘Car-To-Home' and ‘Home-To-Car' services connect a smart home with a car's in-vehicle infotainment system, meaning people can control smart home products from their cars and car features from their homes.
For example, people with compatible cars and smart home devices can start the AC or open/close the windows of their vehicles from their homes. They can also check the EV charging status from their home. Moreover, they can control their ACs, EV chargers, and TVs from their cars. They can also create Routines, which are a series of actions.
A ‘Good Morning' routine can be created in which a home's smart curtains open and the lights and the TV turn on when an alarm goes off on a Galaxy smartphone. Similarly, an ‘Arriving Home' routine can be set to start the AC in their home to a desired temperature when they are about to reach home. Another routine can display an EV's remaining battery and driving range on their smartphone and TV screens.
Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics, said, “This collaboration will enable communication from Home-to-Car and integrated home energy management services that are optimized for future lifestyles. By connecting the SmartThings platform with vehicles, we'll be able to significantly enhance the customer experience in both the home and the car.”
SmartThings' home energy management feature allows users to monitor the energy consumption of connected devices in their homes. Energy consumed when an EV is being charged will also be visible in SmartThings. Users can choose the optimal time for charging their EVs by factoring in the price of electricity by the time of day, carbon emissions, and other factors.
Haeyoung Kwon, Vice President of Hyundai and Kia's Infotainment Development Center, said, “This is an opportunity to make the connected car's Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services more convenient in various fields. We plan to accelerate our technology development to continuously make global Hyundai and Kia customers' journeys meaningful.”
Samsung working with HARMAN to improve ‘Car-To-Home' services
Samsung is also working with its subsidiary HARMAN to improve the ‘Car-To-Home' service. The company's ‘Ready Upgrade' digital cockpit platform for connected cars allows hardware and software upgrades. It means that users can install SmartThings on connected cars with the Ready Upgrade platform and control smart devices in their homes from their cars.
