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Hyundai announces Google Assistant/Home integration, incl. ability to start & stop charging IONIQ

Hyundai, as part of its presence this year at CES in Las Vegas, will be showing off integration between its Blue Link in-dash system and Google’s Assistant platform. The collaboration means that drivers of vehicles equipped with Hyundai’s Blue Link system will be able to control their vehicle using voice commands via Google Home and presumably other products that tap into the virtual assistant platform. That includes the ability to start and top charging for Hyundai’s electric vehicles… 

Among the use cases, such as the ability to control remote start, horn and lights, is an option to initiate and stop charging for the Hyundai IONIQ. That will require only the user to say “Ok Google, Tell Blue Link to start charging my IONIQ,” followed by verbal confirmation of the user’s Blue Link PIN for security purposes.

You’ll also get access to other basic Blue Link functionality like locking and unlocking your vehicle, setting temperatures, and sending addresses to the system.

Hyundai is showing off the new functionality at CES in Las Vegas this week (we’ll be there to get some hands-on time), but it hasn’t yet said when the features will arrive for its customers.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — In an integration highlighting the increasing connection between cars and the home, Hyundai is demonstrating compatibility with the company’s Blue Link Agent for the Google Assistant. The integration, which Hyundai will be demonstrating at Pepcom’s Digital Experience prior to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES®) on January 4, allows control of various functions of a Hyundai vehicle with simple voice commands. These commands include “Ok Google, Tell Blue Link to start my Santa Fe and set the temperature to 72 degrees”, “Ok Google, Tell Blue Link to send the address of the Mandarin Oriental, in Las Vegas to my Sonata”, and “Ok Google, ask Blue Link to lock my car”.

“Our customers are finding smart home integrations like the one we are showcasing with Google Home to be very useful and convenient,” said Manish Mehrotra, director, digital business planning and connected operations, Hyundai Motor America. “We will continue to add layers of convenience to the Blue Link connected car system and our cars, making features like remote EV charge management, remote locking, temperature and remote start easier than ever while sitting on the couch and saying ‘Ok Google’.”

Google Home is a voice-activated speaker powered by the Google Assistant that can provide real-time answers, activate streaming music services, smart home devices, and now, cars.

Blue Link brings seamless connectivity directly into Hyundai cars with technology like Remote Start with Climate Control, Destination Search powered by Google®, Remote Door Lock/Unlock, Car Finder, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, and Stolen Vehicle Recovery. Blue Link services can be easily accessed from the buttons on the rearview mirror and center stack, the Web or via the Blue Link owners’ smartphone app. In addition to the Action on Google Assistant, some of these features can also be controlled via the latest Android Wear and Apple Watchsmartwatch offerings.

How It Works

To send commands to the Hyundai Vehicles via the Google Assistant on Google Home, engineers developed a way to link a customer’s Blue Link Account with the Google Assistant voice activated services. Once a customer has successfully linked his or her account, Remote Service commands will only be sent to Hyundai vehicles after the Google Assistant prompts owners for their Blue Link Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Examples of Exchanges between Google Home and Hyundai Blue Link

Example User Statement to Google

Assistant

Example Google Assistant’s

Response to User

“Ok Google, Find me a great steakhouse in Las Vegas.”

“The address I found for a great steak house in Las Vegas is SW Steak House at 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109.  Do you wish to send it to your Sonata?”

“Ok Google, tell Blue Link to send the address to my Santa Fe.”

“The destination has been sent.”

“Ok Google, what is the weather like today?”

“Today’s forecast for Ann Arbor is 38 degrees with rain and snow.”

“Ok Google, ask Blue Link to Start my Tucson and set the temperature to 75 degrees.”

“To remote start and set climate control of your Tucson please say your Blue Link PIN.”

“9115.”

“Your request to remote start and set climate control of your Tucson has been sent.”

“Ok Google, Tell Blue Link to start charging my IONIQ”

“Please say your Blue Link PIN.”

“1978.”

“Your request has been sent. Your IONIQ is now charging.

Blue Link Action on Google Home demonstration features include:

  • Sending a destination to the car’s navigation system
  • Remote horn/lights
  • Start and stop charging of Hyundai plug-in vehicles
  • Remote Start with Climate Control

Hyundai will have more features before launching this Action on Google Home into production.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.