Volvo has counted about 8 million instances, over the last 12 months, of car heaters being fired up remotely, via its On Call app. That figure is poised to rise when Volvo On Call has arrived on wrists of smartwatch wearers, which will happen soon.
The On Call app is due for an update; it will expand its reach to Apple Watch and Android Wear smartwatches as well as Windows Phone devices. Users of Microsoft's mobile operating system will have the ability to invoke Cortana, the company's digital assistant service, to control their connected Volvo vehicles.
Volvo owners with On Call on their wrists will have the ability to control their vehicles' settings, lock doors, unlock doors, pinpoint where they left their automobile, check fuel levels and perform other tasks with a bit of secret agent-like flair.
"Volvo On Call is an app that allows you to literally take control over everyday elements in your Volvo," said David Holecek, Volvo's director of Connected Products and Services. "You can set heater timings for those cold and frosty mornings or cool down your car in hot weather, check your fuel level and mileage, or time to next service. It even helps you to locate your car in a crowded parking garage."
Volvo's On Call service is now about 14 years old. It started out as a platform for telematics, similar to OnStar. Since then, the service has expanded to deliver remote controls to Volvo drivers.
"In only a few years we have moved from a safety and security related in-car feature to a solution that allows the driver to stay connected with their car and provides many new benefits to support their everyday requirements," said Volvo's Sofia Wessman, manager of On Call.
If Volvo's On Call on a smartwatch isn't sleek enough, BMW is cooking up something even better. Back at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), BMW detailed its Remote Valet Parking Assistant.
BMW's Remote Valet Parking Assistant uses lasers and parking lot schematics to park autonomously, after told to do so via a mobile device.
"If the driver uses the Smartwatch to activate the fully-automated Remote Valet Parking Assistant, the system will steer the vehicle independently through the levels, while the driver has already got out of the car and is on his way to a business appointment," BMW stated ahead of CES 2015.
