Chrysler’s GEM Peapod moves at the speed of iPhone

The iPhone, with its mass-market appeal and inviting user interface, has helped spark a wave of smartphone awareness in the past couple years. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who’s never heard of the iPhone, let alone someone that doesn’t know someone else with an iPhone in their pocket. Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s iPhone has become so popular, in fact, that the eco-friendly Chrysler GreenEcoMobility (GEM) will feature iPhone integration the likes of which we’ve never seen. The Chrysler GEM “Peapod” brochure shows off an iPhone application that turns the iPhone into the car’s ignition key, entertainment system and trip computer!

The GEM Peapod electric vehicle sports an iPhone/iPod dock that allows the user to “simply dock your iPod for a fun, cutting edge way to start up. Exclusive software designed exclusively for Peapod turns your iPod into a key. Both options are interchangeable and secure.” The Peapod iPhone application presumably communicates with the car via the iPhone dock, which gives the driver the go-ahead to fire up engage that electric motor. The iPhone also controls music playback and offers the eco-driving tips to help the driver get the most out of their Peapod.

We’ve seen in-car iPhone integration before, but this is definitely the coolest example of in-car iPhone integration to date. The kicker? The GEM Peadpod will hit production in October of 2009! We can’t wait for iPhone-integration to start appearing in vehicle options-lists from major car makers in the near future.

[Via: autobloggreen]