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Remote Services
The “My Car” section of the display shows information such as the fuel level, remaining range, mileage, fuel consumption, average speed, and tire pressure, as well as the duration and distance of your last drive. Another display indicates whether all the doors and the top are closed and whether or not the side mirrors are folded in. If this is not the case, a warning then appears. The driver can then use the app to lock the doors and fold in the mirrors. For security reasons, however, it is not possible to unlock the doors remotely.

Additional features are available for plug-in hybrid models. Drivers can check the battery’s state of charge and start the charging process if the vehicle is hooked up to a charging station. What is more, you can also program the car to be charged at up to three different times. At 7 a.m., for example, so the batteries are full for the commute to work. And then at 7 p.m. for the trip back home. The car automatically calculates when to start the charging process to meet these deadlines. You can also set the climate control to heat or cool the interior as desired.

When parked in unfamiliar surroundings, owners can determine the shortest route to their vehicle via the Apple Watch, which uses the car’s coordinates and clock to determine the location. When they approach the car, it will flash the headlights or sound the horn. This may not sound very spectacular in the age of Google Maps, but it is quite helpful in crowded parking garages or in large supermarket parking lots.

If owners allow other individuals such as their children to drive their cars, they can monitor the car’s usage. A geo-fencing option immediately notifies them if the car is driven beyond an agreed-upon (and specified) radius. A speed-fencing option will inform them if the car exceeds a pre-specified limit.

Security Services
For obvious reasons, theft protection was a priority when this app was developed. In combination with the Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (PVTS), the app immediately recognizes theft and reports it to the local authorities. Owners also receive a message right away on their watches. Porsche developers have tested how well this works themselves. Shortly after their attempted “thefts,” the cars were secured by local police and the Porsche testers had to reveal their true identities.

Safety Services
If the car is taken to a dealer for maintenance or is transported to another location, the geo-fencing function can be deactivated manually in the settings in order to prevent an unneeded notification. Even in such cases, however, the theft detection function remains active in the background.

If the car’s sensors detect an airbag deployment, they assume that an accident or other emergency has occurred and send this information to the emergency center along with the coordinates of the vehicle. The emergency center can then take immediate and appropriate action.

By Klaus-Eckhard Jost
Photos by Steffen Jahn