The latest agreement expands the collaboration to provide business customers with more convenient and valuable mobility experiences through SmartThings Pro. The B2B management platform offers efficient energy savings and integrated space management by connecting various devices, solutions and services across residential facilities to office buildings and commercial facilities. Attending the signing ceremony were Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President at Samsung’s B2B Integrated Offering Center, and Sangdae Kim, Head of Kia’s PBV Division.

“By integrating SmartThings Pro into Kia PBV, we plan to present an intelligent new way for businesses to be connected to their customers,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President of B2B Integrated Offering Center at Samsung Electronics. “We will provide an optimised integrated store management experience based on customised solutions to cater for a range of B2B customers including the self-employed and small business owners.”

With the integration of SmartThings Pro and Kia PBV, B2B customers can connect their vehicles to external business spaces and execute automated routine controls set in vehicles to increase operational efficiency and convenience. For example, self-employed and small business owners who purchase Kia PBVs will be able to manage automation routines such as air conditioning, signage and home appliances in their stores through SmartThings Pro, making operation and management much more convenient.

Small business owners who remotely operate multiple unmanned stores or shared lodgings can use a Kia PBV to manage them in real time while on the move. As part of remote management, users can receive notifications of abnormal activity and device failures or maintenance. Users can also manage check-ins and check-outs, optimise air conditioning and prevent energy waste when customers are away.

Additionally, SmartThings Pro provides advance notifications of the on-site tasks that need to be carried out — such as consumable replacements and maintenance lists — tailored to the store or establishment where the PBV arrives, enabling easy operation.

SmartThings Pro also helps busy small mobile business owners like food truck operators. Food trucks move frequently and take time to prepare and organise signage, audio, cash registers, refrigerators, cooking appliances and lighting before and after hours of operation. With SmartThings Pro, users can be automate everything at once, allowing a single operator to run a food truck.

“Kia PBVs are designed to be more than just vehicles, they are intelligent business solutions that connect seamlessly with digital ecosystems,” said Sangdae Kim, Head of Kia’s PBV Division. “We anticipate that our business collaboration with Samsung Electronics, leveraging its AI B2B solution SmartThings Pro, will extend the vehicle user experience for our business customers beyond PBVs into the broader IoT ecosystem. This partnership is expected to create new opportunities for discovering customer value.”

[1] Platform Beyond Vehicle is Kia’s total mobility solution that combines fit-for-purpose EVs with advanced software solutions.

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LONDON, United Kingdom – Jan. 4, 2024 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced a collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group to expand its SmartThings platform to support connected cars, including electric vehicles (EVs). The announcement came after the companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on January 3 to develop solutions for future lifestyles that fully integrate the smart home and connected cars.

The two companies will work together for the next-generation smart home to connect Samsung’s SmartThings with Hyundai and Kia’s connected cars, including EVs to develop the “Home-to-Car” and “Car-to-Home” services, as well as an integrated home energy management service.

The Home-to-Car and Car-to-Home services connect the smart home with in-vehicle infotainment systems, allowing for remote control in both directions. Through the SmartThings platform, users will be able to perform a variety of actions pertaining to their cars while at home — starting them, controlling smart air conditioning, opening and closing windows, and checking their charging status^[1]. And from cars, the control of home appliances such as TVs, air conditioners and EV chargers will also be possible.

“This collaboration will enable communication from Home-to-Car and integrated home energy management services that are optimised for future lifestyles,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics. “By connecting the SmartThings platform with vehicles, we’ll be able to significantly enhance the customer experience in both the home and the car.”

Users will be able to adjust their environments with SmartThings by simultaneously operating multiple devices — including vehicles — through routines such as “good morning routine” and “arriving home routine.” For example, when a Galaxy smartphone’s morning alarm goes off, the curtains will automatically open, and the lights and television will turn on. When users are ready to go out for work, the user’s car will adjust itself to an ideal temperature. Also, the smartphone and TV screens will display information such as the EV’s remaining battery and driving range.

“This is an opportunity to make the connected car’s Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services more convenient in various fields,” said Haeyoung Kwon, Vice President of Hyundai and Kia’s Infotainment Development Center. “We plan to accelerate our technology development to continuously make global Hyundai and Kia customers’ journeys meaningful.”

The integrated home energy management service will allow users to monitor how much energy is consumed by the connected devices in their homes. Energy information of their EVs and chargers will also be available, enabling users to adjust the optimal time for charging their vehicles. EVs connected to the integrated home energy management service offer the possibility of automatically setting the optimal time for charging by factoring in different pricing by time of day^[2], the power demand response (DR) program^[3], photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage system (ESS) data^[4], and time-specific carbon emissions^[5].

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To further strengthen Car-to-Home services, Samsung is working closely with HARMAN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. HARMAN’s “Ready Upgrade” is a digital cockpit package product that allows hardware and software upgrades. With Ready Upgrade, users will be able to install SmartThings functions to utilise various Car-to-Home services.

[1]All devices should be connected to Wi-Fi or other wireless network, and registered with a single Samsung Account.

[2] Higher rates are applied depending on the season and time of day.

[3] Incentives are provided to participating households to reduce energy consumption in response to the DR signal during peak hours, when power usage is concentrated.

[4] Monitoring of electrical energy production/consumption/storage through PV/ESS.

[5] Carbon emissions and reductions are monitored through information regarding the amount of carbon emitted when consuming 1KWh of electricity.