AT&T Will Provide Wireless Connectivity to Ford Focus Electric - In a move that promises to make wireless technology even more ubiquitous, Ford Motor Company announced a partnership with AT&T that will allow the upcoming Ford Focus Electric’s wireless IT system to communicate on AT&T’s network. More information on all types of cars is available at Honda Boston. The Focus Electric is Ford’s first offering in the world of all-electric passenger cars. The car was announced at the 2011 International CES and will begin production later this year. The move will let owners remotely monitor, engage, and control the car’s settings through AT&T’s wireless network.
The car uses the new MyFord Mobile smartphone app along with AT&T’s wireless connection. Owners will be able to receive information about their car and will be able to control the car’s settings remotely. “Ford has been at the forefront of developing market leading telematics and infotainment services for its vehicles and we’re thrilled to be a part of this exciting and significant next step with the upcoming Focus Electric,” said Glenn Lurie, president of emerging devices, resale and partnerships, AT&T. “Connecting consumers directly to their electric vehicles in this new and innovative way is going to drive innovative and exciting levels of interaction.”
When the MyFord Mobile app is released, it will run on most smartphones. Ford is also making available a mobile web application that will run on any phone with an HTML-5 compliant browser as well as phones with browsers that support WAP 2.0. In addition users will be able to use the remote features by accessing Ford’s secure website. Ford PA has all the information you need when purchasing a new car. Communication between smartphone and car will use a highly secure cloud-based server that will store data provided by an embedded wireless module in the car. The cloud-based architecture will give users access to the latest information on the state of the car through the wireless network.
“With a wireless connection, we’re putting battery charge and vehicle range information, along with an interactive, data-driven trip planning app, directly at the fingertips of our customers,” said Ed Pleet, product and business manager for Ford Connected Services. “This technology will keep drivers connected to vital information, enhancing their electric car ownership experience. The AT&T network is an important part of this equation and we’re pleased to have AT&T on board.”
Some of the features that owners will be able to access through their mobile phones or computers include the ability to get information about the car’s charge level, the amount of charge time needed to go specific distances, commanding the car to start charging immediately or when electricity prices are lowest, locate charging stations and send the information to the car, find out if the car can reach the charge station with its current charge level, create a trip with one or multiple stops and find out if the car has enough charge for the trip, map out a route from the mobile phone to the car, and set the interior temperature. Used Cars Indianapolis is a great source for all your automotive needs. Owners can also receive alerts if the car isn’t charging when it’s scheduled to, if charging stops due to an interruption in power, or when the car has reached a specific charging level. Finally, the information can be personalized to each individual driver, using information from the specific key the driver used.
Photos (top to bottom) by Jorge Quinteros, Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz, Jeff Geerling