Kia and Hyundai join forces with Samsung

Kia and Hyundai have signed an agreement with Samsung Electronics for a car-to-home and home-to-car service partnership to improve connectivity between the home and car. The aim is to enable customers to remotely control household appliances via touch and voice commands using their vehicles' infotainment systems. Conversely, they will be able to remotely control various vehicle functions via AI speakers, televisions and smartphone apps. To this end, the connected car services from Kia and Hyundai will be linked with "SmartThings", the Samsung platform for the Internet of Things (IoT).

On the way home from work, for example, the user can activate "Home Mode" from the car and switch on the air conditioning, start the robot vacuum cleaner or turn on the lights. Conversely, they can activate "Away Mode" before leaving the house and switch off unnecessary lights or start the robot vacuum cleaner to return to a clean home later, as well as pre-temper the vehicle to the right temperature using the air conditioning remote control.

In addition to touchscreen and voice commands, location-based automatic operation is offered to provide customers with a more convenient service. Furthermore, owners of electric vehicles can use the "Home Energy Management Service" integrated in Smart Things to check the energy consumption of their home and vehicle and set the optimum charging times. The service will also be made available for existing vehicles via over-the-air and USB-based updates.

Both car brands, Kia and Hyundai, already offer car-to-home and home-to-car services through collaborations with telecommunication companies and construction companies and will be expanded through the new partnership. (aum)