Samsung and Hyundai are teaming up to add SmartThings to cars

Samsung is teaming up with Hyundai to add Samsung’s SmartThings smart home platform to Hyundai and Kia’s connected car services, according to a blog post from Samsung and a press release from Hyundai. (Hyundai is the parent company of Kia.) As part of the collaboration, the two companies are going to work on “home-to-car” and “car-to-home” services and “as an integrated home energy management service,” Samsung says.

In practice, that means at home you’ll be able to do things like use SmartThings to control your car’s air conditioning or windows, and when you’re in your car, you’ll be able to control your TV or your home’s air conditioning. You’ll also be able to plug your car into your SmartThings routines.

Here’s an example from Samsung about what it might all look like:

For example, when a Galaxy smartphone’s morning alarm goes off, the curtains will automatically open, and the lights and television will turn on. When users are ready to go out for work, the user’s car will adjust itself to an ideal temperature. Also, the smartphone and TV screens will display information such as the EV’s remaining battery and driving range.

Hyundai’s press release has another pitch:

For example, on a hot summer evening commute, the user can activate the ‘Home Mode’ to turn on the registered air conditioner and air purifier, start the robot vacuum, and turn on the lights for a comfortable and pleasant living space. Alternatively, before going out, the user can initiate the ‘Away Mode’ to turn off unnecessary lights and start the robot vacuum to create a clean living space to return to, as well as pre-activate the vehicle’s air conditioning to a comfortable temperature.

That all sounds nice, right? But it seems like this work is still in very early stages, so it might be a long time before you’ll be living the full Samsung and Hyundai life.

• The two companies just signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday.
• The phrase “future lifestyles” appears four times in Samsung’s blog post.
• The two photos included in Samsung’s post (which I’ve also included in this article) are both captioned as “examples” of “services to be developed.”

It’s unclear exactly which Hyundai / Kia cars will support SmartThings right now (though one of Samsung’s images prominently features an Ioniq, so that seems like a safe bet). However, Hyundai says it and Kia will “develop stable service-providing infotainment systems” and add the features via OTA updates and USB-based updates to existing vehicles (though doesn’t specify which ones).