LAS VEGAS: Several carmakers are already experimenting with connecting certain vehicle operations with Amazon's Echo or Google's Home Assistant smart home hubs, but at this year's CES, Ford has become the very first to put Amazon's Alexa voice activated assistant in its cars.
It means that, from this summer, even when driving alone, Ford owners will have someone to talk to as they travel -- as long as to begin with, they want to talk about the quickest route to a restaurant or the best online deals for goods stocked by Amazon.
"Ford and Amazon are aligned around a vision that your voice should be the primary way to interface with your favorite devices and services," said Don Butler, executive director, Ford Connected Vehicle and Services.
Voice is the least distracting form of operation, particularly if driving, but the key to ensuring a system is simple and doesn't cause a loss of focus is for commands and instructions to be of the natural language variety.
All premium carmakers offer voice recognition command systems on their current generation cars, but they only respond to very specific vocabulary and instruction. As intelligent as the latest Mercedes E Class is, you can't have a conversation with it.
What tech companies like Amazon and Google are bringing is a contextual understanding, and an ability to interrupt the natural way in which we speak.
"The ability to use your voice to control your smart home, access entertainment, manage to-do lists and more makes for an extraordinary driving experience. We can't wait for Ford customers to try this out," said Steve Rabuchin, vice president, Amazon Alexa. "We believe voice is the future, and this is particularly true in cars."
Before Alexa arrives in the car dashboard, starting at the end of January, Ford owners with Amazon's voice assistant at home will be able to do things such as check fuel levels or remotely lock, unlock and start the car from the comfort of their living room.
"Customers will be able to start their vehicles from home, and manage smart home features while on the road -- making life easier," said Butler.
