BMW’s Smart Watch App Wins CES 2015 Award

BMW’s innovative i3 and i8 hybrid-electric vehicles may be redefining what it means to drive a hybrid vehicle, each in its own way. But BMW’s innovation doesn’t stop after the driver parks the car, as demonstrated by the BMW i Remote App for the Samsung Gear S smartwatch, a software app that has been awarded a prize in the Software and Mobile Apps category at the CES Innovation Awards in New York (which takes place in January 2015).

The BMW i Remote App allows i3 and i8 drivers to interact with their plug-in hybrids via their Samsung smartwatch, checking on the car’s system status, charging status, whether the doors are open or closed, sending destination information to the GPS via voice control, and even activate the car’s heating or cooling system remotely. I’m not sure how many i8 drivers are using a Samsung smartwatch rather than a Patek Phillipe, but even Michael Knight might be jealous of this tech.