Drivers of Ford Motor Co. electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles can now use their smartwatches to check their car’s battery status and unlock their car’s doors with the new MyFord Mobile app.
“The app gives drivers the ability to quickly check important data like available range before leaving on a road trip — without having to access the mobile application on their smartphone,” says David Hatton, manager of connected vehicles and services at Dearborn-based Ford.
Hatton says the app was designed specifically for smartwatches. For example, the round gauges match the look of a round watch face, like the Android smartwatch Moto 360. Or, for the Apple Watch, the customer can use the glance feature to swipe up on the watch interface to launch the app.
He says the app can also precondition the vehicle’s interior, give a vehicle mileage summary, provide walking or driving directions back to the customer’s car, and offer a trip summary, which includes a personal driving score of the percentage of electric vehicle miles.
“The app can also notify users when their car is fully charged, helping a driver be courteous to other electric vehicle owners so they can free up the charging spot or avoid fees applied at some charging stations when you overrun your time after the charge is complete,” Hatton says.
He says the app is designed for new or existing owners of the Ford C-MAX Energi, Ford Focus Electric, and Ford Fusion Energi.
