MyFord Mobile smartwatch app adds features for electric cars

By Stephen Edelstein September 18, 2015

Many drivers of electric cars and plug-in hybrids like to keep a close eye on their vehicles as they charge, and Ford hopes to let them do just that with its MyFord Mobile smartwatch app. The Blue Oval is joining other carmakers like BMW and Hyundai in allowing owners to remotely monitor their vehicles via smartwatch.

Like other automotive smartwatch apps, MyFord Mobile matches an existing smartphone app. MyFord Mobile has been available in some form since 2012, but Ford believes the added convenience of quickly checking certain vehicle information without having to pull out a phone will be attractive to customers.

Recommended Videos

Using the app, electric car and plug-in hybrid drivers can check available range before setting out on a journey, check the status of charging while a car is parked, and get a “driving score” with an mpg or MPGe readout, and ratings for driving and braking efficiency over the last trip.

Other features include the capability to remotely preset the climate control to a certain temperature and lock and unlock the doors, as well a vehicle locator that provides walking or driving directions to get owners back to a parked car they may have misplaced. The update that adds the electric car features also includes Google Maps with pinch/zoom capability, and the ability to check the location and availability of charging stations.

This version of the MyFord Mobile app is available to owners of the Ford Focus Electric and C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrids, from both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Check out Spectre, Rolls-Royce’s first all-electric car

Rolls-Royce's Spectre, its first all-electric vehicle.

Rolls-Royce Introduces Spectre: The World's First Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has taken the wraps off the Spectre, its first all-electric vehicle.

Cars

How do electric cars work? EV motors and batteries explained

Electric GT e-Crate Motor Tesla battery

Electric vehicles function in fundamentally different ways than traditional cars. Internal combustion engines have loads of moving parts, and while EVs have their own complexities, they're much more digital than mechanical. Let's take a closer look at exactly how electric vehicles work.
How does an EV battery pack work?
Instead of gasoline, EVs derive their power from a battery pack, which usually stretches along the underside of the car to keep the weight as low as possible. It's composed of multiple modules, which are in turn broken down into individual battery cells, similar in size to AA batteries. A layer of coolant runs between cells since hot batteries are explodey batteries. A battery management system regulates that coolant and ensures that each cell drains at the same rate, which prolongs the life of the pack.

Cars

BMW shows off an electric car with color-changing paint at CES 2022

A color-changing BMW iX electric SUV.

From engine sounds to seat massagers, modern cars let drivers personalize almost everything. At CES 2022, BMW is taking that idea a step further with a concept version of its iX electric SUV that sports color-changing paint.

The effect relies on E Ink, the same electronic paper technology used in e-readers. Millions of microcapsules approximately the diameter of a human hair are embedded in an exterior wrap made from laser-cut electronic paper segments, according to BMW. They contain negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. Activating an electric field causes different amounts of each pigment to collect on the surface, shifting the color between black, white, and gray with the press of a button.