At CES 2017, Ford announced that they were adding support for Amazon’s Alexa into their SYNC3 infotainment system. In January, Ford rolled out the update to a few of their vehicles, with the remaining portion of their fleet getting the update before the end of the year. The Ford Fusion Energi was one of three vehicles to get the update already, and we have our hands on this model already. It took us a little while to get Alexa configured and set up with the vehicle, but it was still pretty simple, so we thought we would walk everyone through how to do so.
First of all, you’ll need to download the MyFord Mobile app and setup your vehicle (in our case, the Ford Fusion Energi Titanium) with the app. This actually takes 24 hours to complete and get full access to everything that the app can do. You’ll need to input the VIN and have the app connect to your car, then select “Allow” on the confirmation message on the vehicle’s screen. 24 hours after that, you’ll need to do it again. Luckily you only need to do this once. Many might be wondering why you need to set up the MyFord Mobile app for your vehicle, and well that is because the Alexa skill uses the app to communicate with the car.
Now that you have the MyFord Mobile app all set up, head into your Alexa app, or even use Amazon.com from your web browser and search for the MyFord Mobile skill. You’ll want to enable the skill and then link your account. You’ll be linking the MyFord Mobile account with Alexa. Once you’ve linked your account to Alexa, you are all set. Now using the Echo, Echo Dot or Amazon Tap, you can start your car from your home, check on the odometer reading, check the vehicle range and so much more. Now if you’re in the car, you can ask Alexa to do things like turn off the lights at home, or open the garage door. You can also use it for finding out what the score was from last night’s game and other simple questions like that.
The Alexa skill is pretty simple and straight-forward, but it is currently only available on the C-Max Energi, Fusion Energi and the Focus Electric. Ford’s plans are to roll out the update to all other vehicles in their fleet with SYNC3 before the end of 2017. If you’re in the market for a new car, and you’re a big fan or supporter of Alexa, then Ford might be a great choice for you – don’t forget it also has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
