For most of us, GPS has replaced our road maps just as search engines have made our telephone directories obsolete. The arrival of the smartphone and the widespread use of mobile broadband has led to the emergence of new consumer habits: we check reviews left by other users before booking a restaurant, we control our automated smart homes remotely from afar, etc.
Of firm conviction that using an electric car carries similar expectations, Renault has developed a suite of services for New ZOE called Renault CONNECT, designed to be a companion to using the vehicle throughout a typical day. On a smartphone, it comes in the form of a mobile application, MY Renault, available now on iOS and Android. Behind the wheel, it can be accessed via the EASY LINK multimedia system, using the centre console’s 10-inch screen.
Together, these two interfaces combine all the connected features useful to drivers. Using the MY Renault app, for example, it is possible to put together a full travel itinerary that takes all facets of charging into account. Once on the road, the multimedia screen displays the nearest charging station on a map, and even checks that they are available to use.
This “real-time” adaptability extends to traffic information and to map updates provided by TomTom, which refreshes so seamlessly as to be almost imperceptible. This map is also enhanced by points of interest provided through Google. The driver can thus follow their internet navigation impulses even behind the wheel.
Support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto further encourages such a mindset, providing direct access to your smartphone’s software environment on New ZOE’s multimedia screen. Drivers can keep their valued contacts and applications close at hand without losing focus on the road.
The range of Renault CONNECT services creates a sense of continuity in your interactions, which no longer begin when you start driving and end when you stop. If a driver parks near the destination they entered into GPS EASY LINK, the MY Renault application takes over to guide them through the final leg of their journey on foot. In the same manner, you can prepare for your departure by checking the battery charge level or by programming the car temperature while it is plugged into a terminal, so that the battery reserves are unaffected.
And last but not least: the connected aspect of this whole suite of Renault CONNECT features means that they are upgradeable and can easily be updated in the future with new features, both practical and fun!
Copyright : OHM, Frithjof – Agence : Frithjof Ohm INCL. Pretzsch