Chinese retail giant JD.com is working with Volkswagen to integrate its Whale IoT smart home technology into the Passat and other models from the German car maker.
 
The smart home service enables drivers to control home appliances, such as air conditioners, lights and curtains remotely from their car through voice command or touch of the car’s screen. Its geo-fence function can also be triggered automatically to switch home appliances on or off if the car is within range on a return trip home.
 
For example, by simply speaking the words “turn on going-home mode”, the IoT platform will turn on the lights, air conditioner and water heater in advance of returning home. Drivers can also view the quality of the air and security of their home from their car.
 
Smart home technology is already a part of daily life for many consumers. JD has been at the forefront of this technology, releasing China’s first smart home platform in 2014 and smart speaker in 2015. JD’s IoT platform is now connected to over 150 million devices from over 1000 brands, helping more than 25 million families in China control all their home devices, and even make purchases by voice command.
 
JD will also partner with Saic Volkswagen to launch smart maintenance services in the future, when drivers can check the overall condition of their cars directly from home. At the same time, by analysing the car’s conditions and customer behaviour, recommendations on maintenance services through digital intelligence will be provided to owners.
 
“When we think about travel functions, what we think about most is how to connect the car with the outside world, how to take the car as the key connecting point, and how to provide a real experience of connectivity for living,” said Ying Gao, senior product manager at Saic Volkswagen. “We see real potential in this area with JD’s powerful IoT platform. The smart home function developed in cooperation with JD has created a special driving experience.”
 
Yazhuo Wang, general manager of IoT at JD Cloud, added: “JD will continue to fully leverage our IoT and AI technology capabilities, supply chain and merchandise to provide technology and services for our partners. We look forward to closer cooperation with Saic Volkswagen in this area, providing the most convenient and seamless experiences for car owners and consumers.”