Pretty soon, there will be an app for everything. And that trend is starting with your car.
OnStar released an app that works with almost the entire 2011 lineup of GM vehicles, and gives its subscribers remote access to many of the vehicle's key on and off functions, diagnostics, and vehicle information. With this app, you will never need to remember anything about your car.
So what can you do with this application?
- Remotely lock and unlock the vehicle
- Honk the horn to locate your car
- Start the vehicle
- Turn car lights on and off
- Check the fuel tank level and range
- Check remaining oil life
- Determine current and recommended tire pressure
- Find out the fuel economy of a recent trip
- Check the vehicle's lifetime fuel economy
- Get the current odometer reading
- Find the vehicle VIN
- Find your OnStar account number
Contact OnStar operators for emergency response, driving directions, or settling disputes with your spouse
OnStar service isn't free, but you could make the case that the app's information on car maintenance and fuel economy could offset the subscription cost. Maintaining adequate tire pressure improves fuel economy by 3.3 percent.
The Chevrolet Volt will gets its own app that will be released when the vehicle launches.