Google and OnStar will partner to deliver a variety of telematic services through Android-powered smartphones.
General Motors and its OnStar telematics subsidiary are teaming up with one of the biggest names in the online world, Google Inc., to link vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt to a variety of smartphone applications.
Among other services, owners of the Volt will be able to monitor the state of the plug-in hybrid’s battery charge, as well as find where they’ve parked the vehicle in a crowded lot. Motorists will also be able to access OnStar’s other safety and navigation services using a smartphone running on Google’s Android operating system.
The technology will make its formal public debut in San Francisco, later this week, at the Google I/O conference. GM earlier this year announced an app that will also allow Volt owners with an Apple iPhone to wirelessly connect with the vehicle.
The partnership with Google has the potential to significantly expand both OnStar offerings and the number of telematic services GM makes available in its products. Despite their initial lead, GM and OnStar have been playing catch-up, lately to Ford’s voice-activated Sync system. Ford announced plans, earlier this year, to link a variety of Apple iPhone apps to the next-generation Sync system – which will debut later this year on new models like the 2011 Ford Fiesta.
“While OnStar will never lose sight of our core focus on safety and security, this relationship is an example of how we’re evolving our leadership position in connected vehicle technology,” said Chris Preuss, OnStar president. “What we’re talking about today is only the beginning.”
Indeed, the Volt app itself will evolve over time, OnStar noted, with limited functionality to be offered at the time the battery car will be launched, in November. On a so-called “version 2.0” of the application, or app, the partners plan to add a variety of voice-activated navigation features, pairing the OnStar and Google Maps technologies.
At start-up, however, the Volt app will permit a motorist to not only check the status of the vehicle’s charge but also schedule charge timing. That can save money, as many utilities plan to offer battery car owners discounted power rates during off-peak hours.
The smartphone system will alo permit users to perform traditional OnStar functions without dialing up an operator, such as unlocking a vehicle or flashing its lights.
Eventually, GM plans to offer the Google-based services on other vehicles in its line-up. Meanwhile, along with the iPhone and Google, the maker and OnStar are offering a Blackberry app for the Volt, and making the various features available to owners without a smartphone using an Internet browser.