Ahead of CES 2024, Samsung has partnered with Tesla and Hyundai to bring its SmartThings smart home platform to both companies’ respective vehicles and devices.
First, Samsung SmartThings users will soon be able to connect to Tesla’s Powerwall home battery to track energy production and usage. The system is also capable of notifying users of incoming bad weather through Samsung smartphones, TVs and, of course, Tesla’s electric vehicles. Tesla’s new development API will power these connections.
On Hyundai’s side, the company’s vehicles will soon feature what the automaker calls ‘Home-to-Car’ and ‘Car-to-home’ services, allowing users to connect their SmartThings smart home devices to their vehicle’s infotainment system. It’s unclear what cars will support this functionality, but Hyundai says it’s making its way to existing and future vehicles through over-the-air (OTA) and USB updates. This functionality is also coming to Kia vehicles (Hyundai owns Kia).
Why would I change my home’s temperature from my Ioniq 5’s infotainment screen? I’m unsure, but the prospect of setting up smart home routines through Samsung’s SmartThings is intriguing. For example, you could create a routine that turns your home’s lights on when you pull into your driveway.
You can already do this with other smart home platforms that support location-based tracking. Still, the prospect of these connections being connected directly to a vehicle has the potential for interesting interactions.
Image credit: Hyundai
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