Martin Jahn, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Sales and Marketing, explains the benefits of the new service, “Thanks to Car Access, a ŠKODA car can provide a valuable service to its owner even when it is parked, while normally it wouldn’t offer any additional utility. We are expanding our range of mobility solutions to include this service that can save our customers time, offer greater convenience and make their daily lives easier in many ways. For example, they can have parcels delivered while they are at work, so they don’t have to wait for the delivery. Only the courier of the selected delivery service has access to the necessary vehicle data. What’s more, delivery is contactless – undoubtedly an advantage at this time.”
Vehicle location and licence plate become the delivery address: ŠKODA customers already have the option of having Internet orders delivered to the boot of their car. Via Car Access, all they have to do is allow the delivery service to locate the car, unlock the boot and leave the parcel there.
The pilot phase in Prague is expected to be completed successfully by the end of the year. Afterwards, the functionality will be optimised to ensure that the service can be used in full. This will be followed by its launch in other cities in the Czech Republic and other international markets. Preparations for the rollout are currently underway in collaboration with current and future partners. Car Access is available for ŠKODA models built from 2019 onwards, provided they have the Care Connect: Remote Access package. The Lock/Unlock Remote function must also be activated. For the ENYAQ iV, KAMIQ and SCALA model series the service will be offered at a later date.
The first companies to be involved in the project are the market leader in e-commerce in Central Europe, Alza.cz, the technology and logistics company Zásilkovna, a member of the Packeta Group, as well as the logistics start-up DoDo. Partnerships with other organisations are planned.
To use the service, customers must sign up for ŠKODA Connect and activate the Lock/Unlock Remote function in the MyŠKODA app. The order process differs depending on the partner selected: With Alza.cz, customers first need to link their ŠKODA Connect account to their Alza.cz customer account. They then place an order and select ‘delivery to car’ as the delivery method. With Zásilkovna, customers first order the goods to their home. Next, they receive an email from the logistics partner, where they can redirect the shipment to their vehicle. Zásilkovna also delivers orders from the ŠKODA E-Shop using this option. With DoDo, customers choose whether the goods are to be delivered to their car each time they place an order.
The couriers use a smartphone app to locate and unlock the car. This way, the car can only be opened once and within a time window approved by the customer. The courier only leaves once the vehicle has been locked. Status updates for all orders can be accessed in the MyŠKODA app.