Car Finance / Use a Smartphone To Beat EV Range Anxiety
One of the greatest impediments to the use of the electric vehicle (EV) has been a generalized range anxiety — the fear that there's not enough power left in the battery to propel the car as far as the driver wants to go. Plus there's the issue of not knowing where to recharge the battery when the driver is away from home.
To address these concerns and more, automakers have introduced smartphone apps designed to work directly and exclusively with specific vehicles, such as the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and upcoming Ford Focus Electric. In addition, others in the EV arena (mainly makers of electric vehicle charging stations and their partners) have developed apps meant to be used with any EV.
All the apps are intended to be used outside the vehicle when it is parked. Apps developed by the automakers are engineered to communicate with their paired vehicles to control specific vehicle functions, such as scheduling or starting charging sessions. Others simply turn on the vehicle's air-conditioner or heater while the vehicle is plugged in, which lets owners cool or warm the cabin without draining the battery.
Altogether, these apps are "a foundation for ensuring a positive EV ownership experience," says Thilo Koslowski, vice president of the automotive and vehicle ICT practice at Gartner, Inc. Koslowski closely follows the integration of consumer electronics in cars, and he says the apps help the EV owner use the vehicle's range "in the most meaningful, least disruptive ways."
The apps are proliferating, says Dave Hurst, senior analyst with Pike Research. Currently, Nissan and GM/OnStar offer such apps. By 2012, Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Volvo are expected to introduce their own EV apps.
Not everyone who buys an EV is a technology geek, and it's unlikely that any app would sway a shopper to buy one EV over another. Yet even tech novices who are considering the lease or purchase of an EV could benefit from knowing how these apps compare and contrast — and how they may evolve with future updates.
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Inexpensive portable navigation systems and even cheaper smartphone nav applications are making the pricey in-dash systems offered by automakers less attractive to many consumers. But some people prefer in-dash systems because of their larger screens and because they offer more features. Plus, you never have to worry about forgetting an in-dash system at home. Finally, prices for in-dash systems are starting to drop.
Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows two compatible devices to communicate. In the car, it lets you operate a mobile phone "hands-free," meaning you don't have to hold the device while making or taking a call or performing such functions as accessing the phone's address book. (Of course, you have to use your hands to operate certain Bluetooth features via the vehicle's controls.)
Automotive sound systems are more complex now that portable media players, hard-disk drives and smartphones are along for the ride. But the basic radio/speaker setup hasn't drastically changed, even though more speakers and more amplifier power have been added over the years.
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Sales of Ford vehicles increased 13.3 percent in June compared to the same month last year, and the gain was largely spurred by a strong showing by the carmaker’s Super Duty pickup trucks.
Responsible consumers tend to have all their affairs in order – a steady income, plenty of savings and perhaps even an investment or two on the side. While these things are all positive, they ultimately won't get you approved for an auto loan – for that, you need credit.
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There are certain people who seem to have X-ray vision, who can look at a business and see things that are invisible to other people. I bring this up because I have a friend who spotted something about used cars that I have never heard addressed by anyone else.
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