Skoda introduces remote electric car charging via Alexa
Drivers of ŠKODA’s all-electric Citigoe iV and Superb iV plug-in hybrid can now use Amazon Alexa voice assistants for remote charging, as well as checking on the remaining range of their cars – all from the comfort of their home.
The new features are part of a raft of upgrades added to the ŠKODA Connect service, with iV owners now able to perform a range of actions to simplify the charging and management of their electric vehicle.
One of the highlights is motorists can now check the charge level of their vehicles’ lithium-ion battery before embarking on a journey, and if needed, can give it an extra bit of charge using just their voice.
For the function to work, customers need to ensure their charging cable is connected and use the command “Alexa, ask ŠKODA, I want to start charging my car.” Similarly, the “Alexa, ask ŠKODA…” command can be used to control all of the new features added to the Alexa skill.
Other notable upgrades see the ŠKODA Connect Alexa Skill now able to communicate in four languages – English, French, German and Italian – across all ŠKODA iV models. In addition, the updates allow drivers to control air conditioning levels, with the option to start up the system before getting into the car so that it’s at the optimal, desired temperature.
Amazon Alexa devices offer drivers a variety of additional data and information about their car. These include checking the remaining oil level, the current parking location and obtaining a vehicle health check. The health check provides up-to-date data on the vehicle’s current condition and if any servicing is recommended, such as replacing the brake pads. The voice assistant can also helpfully advise whether the windows and doors are closed, the lights are off and if the vehicle is locked.
To use Alexa, customers require an Amazon account and an Alexa device, through which the ŠKODA Connect Alexa skill is activated. The vehicle owner then needs to link this skill to their ŠKODA Connect user account. Vehicle data, both for iV vehicles and traditional petrol and diesel models, can be accessed in all ŠKODA models which are equipped with ŠKODA Connect and have a mobile internet connection via a SIM card.
The technology updates will continue to be rolled out across the rest of the ŠKODA iV range, including the Octavia iV and Octavia iV vRS plug-in hybrids, which are due to be released later this year. The ability to start and stop charging and control air conditioning will also be added to all Google Home devices in the next few weeks using the Google Home ŠKODA Connect Action. These features will work in exactly the same way as Alexa devices, using the command “Ok Google, talk to ŠKODA Connect…” to control the necessary actions.
Overview of features, including upgrades:
| SKODA Connect Alexa Skill 3.0 | Google Home SKODA Connect 2.0 (update available in August 2020) |
| Start or stop charging start/stop | Start or stop charging start/stop |
| Check charging status | Check charging status |
| Check battery level | Check battery level |
| Remaining charging time | Remaining charging time |
| Start or stop air conditioning | Start or stop air conditioning |
| Check air conditioning status | Check air conditioning status |
| Italian language added. | German, French and Italian languages added. |
| Check last parking space | Check last parking space |
| Check oil life and service | Check oil life and service |
