Ahead of the debut of the Ford Focus Electric at the Consumer Electronic Show today, Ford has announced a new smartphone App designed to connect owners with the company's new zero-emissions car.
Similar in many ways to GM's Chevy Volt OnStar App, the MyFord Mobile app will let owners of the Focus Electric keep tabs on their car and interact with it. The new app will let owners check the EV's state of charge, its estimated range at that charge point and even figure out how much longer it needs to charge to meet a specific distance. An additional feature will also let owners schedule charge times for when rates are lowest.
Working with MapQuest, the app can find charging stations and signal if the station is within the range of the car, even creating longer trips by stringing together charging stations along the way.
The MyFord Mobile app can also alert the owner if a charge has been interrupted or if the charge has reached a sufficient level in order to reach a set destination.
Added features include the ability to lock and unlock the doors, use a built-in GPS system to help you find the car and it can even use power off the grid to warm or cool the car's interior so it's ready when you are.
With all these convenience features, Ford is also looking to engage owners in the electric car experience, with the MyFord Mobile app letting them download vehicle performance and efficiency data. The vehicle will also grade the driver based on how efficiently the car is being driven, and even give awards that can then be shared on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The MyFord Mobile app will be available for Blackberry, Android and iPhone smartphones as well as any phone supporting HTML-5 or WAP 2.0. It can also be access from a secure website from your home computer.
From inside the car, the Focus EV will integrate the app through a MyFord Touch system that has been customized to the electric car experience.
More:
Focus Electric MyFord Mobile App Syncs Owners With Their Cars on AutoGuide.com
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