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MyFord smartphone app give electric vehicles remote control

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, January 6th, 2011 at 11:54 PM
Ford MyFord app lets you control electric vehicles remotely

Just a few short hours before Ford will keynote at CES 2011, the auto maker has revealed the MyFord smartphone app for BlackBerry, Android and iPhone which will let Focus Electric drivers keep tabs on their vehicle from afar.

The key points according to Ford are:

Ford has developed the all-new MyFord Mobile app for North America, allowing Focus Electric drivers to remain engaged and in control even when away from the vehicle. It’s part of a strategic approach to make Ford electric car ownership simpler and easier

MyFord Mobile works via a smartphone app or secure website to give owners the ability to monitor and control selected vehicle functions anywhere they and the car have connectivity

The new app dedicated to Ford plug-in vehicle owners helps remotely monitor and control vehicle charge levels, plan single- or multiple-stop journeys, locate charging stations, pre-heat or cool the car and perform other convenient electric vehicle-specific tasks

A value charging feature, powered by Microsoft, allows Ford customers to reduce their electricity costs by taking advantage of off-peak or reduced rates from their utility without a complicated set-up process

MyFord Mobile will help Focus Electric owners make smart-trip planning decisions with features powered by MapQuest®, which will maintain the largest database of charging stations

The MyFord smartphone app is just the latest example of Ford bringing mobile technology to your car. We’ve been quite impressed with the Ford SYNC apps and we’re itching to hear what the next ones will be.

Why yes, we will be covering the Ford keynote at CES 2011 and we will definitely give you the latest news and analysis of what this could mean for you. You can always hit the main page for the coverage but it’s not going to hurt you to go to our CES 2011 section for everything about the Super Bowl of the tech world.

We nabbed the picture from Engadget which shows it on the Samsung Focus, which is Windows Phone 7 and that’s not officially supported yet. I’m sure it will be soon.

[Via Ford, photo]

About The Author

Marin Perez

Marin Perez has torture tested cell phones and smartphones for industry leaders like CNET and InformationWeek. He remembers when 4G was just a screen on PowerPoint presentations and is fascinated with the amount of innovation out there. Marin has spent a lot of time with BlackBerry and Android but he finally broke down a bought an iPhone to see what all the hype's about. He also has too many tablets.

  • Gfoat

    Apart from the recent news… putting smart phones into Space to control various functions, the Android operating system has all the hallmarks of an operating system that can control a range of very useful functionality. “Green MotorSport” is also currently investigating how the ANDROID OPERATING system could be used with “electric power trains” and understand its benefits for a range of power trains under development. In time I am sure they will sort all the issues out and it will be the operating system of the future on many hardware devices.