This story is part. ofCES 2081, our complete coverage of the showroom floor and the hottest new tech gadgets around.
Amazon Alexa integration in cars is nothing new, with automakers such asToyotaadding the ability for you to control Alexa-connected devices from your car. But a select number of OEMs are embedding Alexa deeper into cars’ hardware, giving the voice assistant even more control over the driving experience. Rivian is the latest company to take Alexa just a little further.
Rivian announced on Monday that it will embed Amazon Alexa into its upcoming electric vehicles’ hardware, bridging the gap between controlling internet-connected devices and the car itself. The two companies will debut this integration atCESWith its R1T electric pickup truck.
There are two major ways Rivian’s Alexa integration will work. First, it’ll do all the usual stuff you expect, say, anEcho Dotto do: It can play music, make calls and send directions to connected devices likelight bulbs, in addition to working with the myriad skills available on other Amazon-enabled devices.
But with this deeper connection to the car, Rivian has opened up a whole second area of functionality. Alexa will be able to change actual vehicle settings, whether it’s adjusting the climate control or opening the trunk and windows. If you have anEcho Showor Fire TV, you can use those to access the pickup truck’s bed camera, for a little extra peace of mind. Rivian also mentioned mysterious “car-to-home” and “home-to-car” skills that it claims are unique to its own cars, but as of this writing, the company has yet to divulge more details about those skills.
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