Chevrolet and OnStar unveil working smartphone application
This Chevrolet Volt smartphone application is going to blow off the competition. General Motors Co. and OnStar developed an application that gives owners unique control over their vehicles from a distance.
The Volt application can be loaded on the Blackberry Storm, Motorola Droid, and Apple’s iPhone and what it does basically is allow owners to keep tabs on their Volt. One of the primary uses that come to mind is if you’re charging the car in a parking garage while working in the office. With this application, the owner can view the car’s charge status, remotely initiate a charge (as long as the car is plugged in) and even schedule charging to avoid peak usage hours to reduce costs. Continued after the jump!
When the charge is complete or interrupted, the owner gets a notification. The Volt app also stores telemetry. Among the many measurements that it can record are the average fuel consumption, the number of miles driven in EV mode, and the odometer readings.
There are still the traditional OnStar features, which include remote door unlock. Walt Dorfstatter, OnStar’s president, said that the Volt brings in a “new era of automotive technology.” It also calls for a new level of connectivity and control.
He revealed that almost 6 million vehicles use OnStar to stay connected. The new smartphone app will only serve to make it easier for Volt owners. But don’t hold your breath on when you could test drive the application since it’s slated to start in the last quarter of this year.
Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots
