Mercedes Benz

Even if you don't drive a Porsche. If you live in the United States and drive an electric car, your options to stop at a fast charging station are limited - unless of course your car has a Tesla badge on it. Tesla's supercharger network is widespread across the country and even in certain parts of Europe. Not to be outdone by the upstart electric car maker, BMW, Ford, Mercedes, and Volkswagen have joined forces to create their own line of fast charging stations. The project won't be complete until 2020, but one of VW's subsidiaries, Porsche, has its own way of improving the EV charging experience. Porsche has just launched what it calls the "Porsche Charging Service." This digital service is designed to make life easier for EV and plug-in hybrid drivers. The app can tie in with the built-in Porsche navigation system to find the nearest charging station, then use centrally stored data to handle the payment process across multiple countries and currencies. The ...

Thanks to some intelligent Alexa voice commands. Amazon has done a lot to make our lives easier. It's hard to even remember life without free two-day shipping. The tech giant has recently expressed interest in improving the car buying process, but will start off in the auto industry by fixing one of the most annoying features on modern cars: voice control. Amazon announced a partnership to include its Alexa voice command on BMW models. This was an exciting announcement, because in-car voice commands have been one of the most infuriating things about modern car infotainment. An app called BMW Connected Skill has been available for Amazon Echo, which allows users to ask about vehicle information such as fuel level or charge. Now we can get a better idea of how Alexa will work in the actual car. In the video, we see a driver sliding an M4 around an aircraft carrier that has been turned into a race track (which is obviously something that most people do). The driver is able to ask Ale...

The kit includes source code and function libraries that enable a vehicle to process audio input and triggers and handle interactions with Alexa. Amazon Alexa typically is used in the home for basic tasks such as setting reminders or playing music. But now, Amazon is making it easier to incorporate Alexa into a vehicle. The e-commerce giant has released the Alexa Auto Software Development Kit, which provides developers a way to integrate all of Alexa's core functions into in-vehicle infotainment systems, Amazon announced Thursday. Alexa, the cloud-based virtual assistant developed by Amazon in 2014, traditionally powers devices including Amazon Echo, Echo Show, Echo Dot and more. Over time, the service has expanded from voice interaction to providing real-time information, serving as a home automation system and provide other services. The kit includes source code and function libraries that enable a vehicle to process audio input and triggers and handle interactions with Alexa. I...

The kit includes source code and function libraries that enable a vehicle to process audio input and triggers and handle interactions with Alexa. Amazon Alexa typically is used in the home for basic tasks such as setting reminders or playing music. But now, Amazon is making it easier to incorporate Alexa into a vehicle. The e-commerce giant has released the Alexa Auto Software Development Kit, which provides developers a way to integrate all of Alexa's core functions into in-vehicle infotainment systems, Amazon announced Thursday. Alexa, the cloud-based virtual assistant developed by Amazon in 2014, traditionally powers devices including Amazon Echo, Echo Show, Echo Dot and more. Over time, the service has expanded from voice interaction to providing real-time information, serving as a home automation system and provide other services. The kit includes source code and function libraries that enable a vehicle to process audio input and triggers and handle interactions with Alexa. I...