Skip to main content

Ford now allows you to remotely start your car with Sync Connect

ford now allows you to remotely start your car with sync connect screen shot 2015 11 17 at 2 51 12 pm
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Who says you have to be inside your car to start your car? Certainly not Ford, which now allows drivers to remotely start, schedule future starts, lock, and unlock their latest generation Ford Escape vehicles simply by using their smartphones. Thanks to the Sync Connect app, vehicle owners are now provided information about their car’s location, tire pressure, battery, and fuel levels, because a 21st-century car needs to have 21st-century technology.

Operating under the premise that customers should be given what they want, Ford’s latest suite of announcements promises “more connectivity” and “innovative features [that] make driving safer [and] easier.” But Sync seems to be the cherry on top of the innovative sundae — users can verify their identity by way of a two-step authentication process, ensuring that not just anyone will be able to start your car from afar. New Escape owners are automatically granted a complimentary five-year activation of Sync connect.

Recommended Videos

“There’s a recognition that we need to be multifaceted in regards to connectivity,” said Don Butler, Ford’s director of connected vehicles and services. “With where we see the industry going, built-in connectivity will become an increasing part of what we do. I think the approach that we’ve taken at Ford has been consistent with our customers and their needs.”

While a number of other automakers have offered smart systems for their cars, Ford remains confident that its app is unique both in its user interface and, perhaps more importantly, in the ability to schedule a start. If, for example, you know that you need your car warmed up in the winter months 15 minutes before you leave at 8:00 am for your meeting, you can rev up your vehicle to prepare itself for your arrival at 7:45 am sharp. Pretty nifty, no?

Currently, the app works only with the new Escape, but the company hopes to extend the technology to a broader range of automobiles as well. So get ready for the days of the ghostly operated auto — don’t worry, it’s just someone’s phone starting their car.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Ford offers 10-year warranty as EcoBoost engine-failure probe ends
2021 ford f 150 review front three quarter

It began in July 2022 as regulators started looking into reports of engine failures affecting 2021 Bronco SUVs. It then turned into a two-year probe covering more than 411,000 vehicles outfitted with Ford’s EcoBoost engines, including the Ford F-150 Bronco, Edge and Explorer, as well as the Lincoln Aviator and Nautilus.

And now, the verdict is in.

Read more
Zero Motorcycles expands line with lighter, lower-cost models
A rider sitting on a Zero XE watching another rider doing donuts in the dirt on a Zero XB.

Zero Motorcycles announced its 2025 lineup with two new lightweight electric on- and off-road models that expand its reach to the e-bike and light e-motorcycle markets. Zero's current electric commuter, touring, and adventure motorcycles cost more than $12,000.  Zero plans to roll out six new sub-$10,000 models during the next two years in what it terms an "All Access" strategy to meet the needs of additional riders. The new models will comprise Zero's new X Line.
The Zero X-Line

The XE and XB motorcycles resemble motocross bikes with narrow knobby tires, flat saddles, relatively flat bars, and ample clearance between the wheels and fenders. When they arrive at U.S. dealerships in the summer of 2025, they will be sold for off-road riding only, although both will be sold as street-legal models in Europe.

Read more
AT&T, Voltpost bring internet connectivity to EV charging lampposts
att voltpost streetlight charging newlabdetroit 63

Move over, Supercharger network.

EV charging networks have been fast expanding across U.S. roads and highways over the past year, led by the likes of Electrify America, Tesla, and Chargescape, to name a few.

Read more