You expect a Tesla to have all sorts of wacky software features because that’s just one of the things that the company is good at, you wouldn’t expect to have all of those features in a relatively inexpensive conventional car, but Ford is aiming to fix that with a new smartphone app called Sync Connect. This is going to add a lot of smart features to conventional cars, ones that don’t cost as much as a Tesla does right now.
Ford Sync Connect will initially be available for the 2017 Ford Escape small SUV, it will enable owners to remotely unlock and lock their car as well as fire up the engine without first having to step inside it and to everything manually. Owners can keep an eye on gas levels, tyre pressure and battery condition via the app and even track the car through GPS.
The app can also be used to schedule remote starts, for example if the owner leaves the house every day at 8:30 am they can schedule for the car to be remotely started every morning at 8:25 am so that when they’re ready to go the engine has had ample time to heat up properly.
Ford did say that this service is going to cost owners but so far it hasn’t confirmed pricing, it might be looking at a subscription model for these features, but we’ll know that for sure when the company makes an official announcement. It has also not confirmed as yet which current or upcoming models will eventually get support for Sync Connect.