- The agreement aims to integrate Samsung’s SmartThings IoT platform with Hyundai and Kia’s software-defined vehicles
- Vehicles can be added to the connected SmartThings ecosystem, controlling air conditioners, air purifiers or other connected devices while driving home
Samsung Electronics is partnering with Hyundai Motor and Kia to fully integrate the SmartThings IoT platform with the automaker’s software-defined vehicles (SDVs).
The technology company and the two automakers will center the SmartThings software with Hyundai and Kia’s next-generation infotainment system. It will start with the introduction of a global location solution function for vehicles and smart keys based on the SmartThings Find platform, a crowdsourced network of hundreds of millions of Samsung Galaxy devices that use the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to report their location.
Through the SmartThings Find service, users can locate vehicles using nearby Galaxy smartphones that allow drivers to more easily track down their cars in the event of them being lost or stolen—— even without a 4G or 5G cellular network connection.
Samsung, Hyundai Details
“Our goal is to enrich Hyundai Motor and Kia customers’ mobility experience by offering personalized services that extend beyond transportation, seamlessly integrating vehicles with smartphones,” said Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division, in a press statement announcing the collaboration.
To that end, drivers can use their Galaxy’s Quick Panel to control air conditioning and check their remaining range from their device. Vehicles can be added to the connected SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to return to a home with optimized conditions by controlling their Samsung air conditioners, air purifiers or other connected devices while driving home.
As part of the agreement, Samsung will continue collaborating with Hyundai and Kia to provide various artificial intelligence- (AI) based services tailored to customer lifestyles and preferences.
Room to Grow
“Through our collaboration with Hyundai and Kia, customers will experience the convenience of SmartThings not only at home but also in their vehicles, transcending space,” said Paul Cheun, President, CTO of DX Division at Samsung Electronics and Head of Samsung Research.
This announcement is an outgrowth of the work that started earlier this year. In January, Samsung and Hyundai announced a partnership focusing on home-to-car and car-to-home services that connect smartphones, vehicles and home appliances.
Based on this agreement, the two organizations have been working toward enabling a Samsung device to be used to seamlessly control a Hyundai or Kia vehicle—and home appliances contacted from inside the vehicle.
SmartThings
The companies will expand the use of SmartThings to include in-vehicle health monitoring via cameras and Galaxy devices, pet care solutions that optimize vehicle environments for pets, as well as integration with smart apartment solutions and SDVs.
This latest evolution of the two companies’ relationship now adds the SmartThings functionality and cooperation to provide user-tailored AI services. Essentially, the scope of the collaboration has been broadened to include even more comprehensive SDV integration.
“We will continue to expand the SmartThings ecosystem, offering new lifestyles and value to even more customers,” said Cheun.