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This all sounds fantastic and looking forward to getting more features out of my car. But what are the Relays? More processing power? BLuetooth, wifi? Its not quite clear how they provide anything additional. The main unit is described pretty well, but not the Relays.
@daegalus The relays enable control over the engine, allowing Immobilization, Stop@Park, and EcoStart functionality.
Immobilization prevents the car from starting without authorization even if a valid key is present - great for families or in high-crime areas.
Stop@Park will shut off the engine automatically when the vehicle is shifted to drive (assuming all conditions are met, like the battery is charge). This enables users to access a mode typically not accessible without turning the key to off and back to accessory mode, for example if you were on a Bluetooth phone call and didn't need the engine running but didn't want your call cut off either - this is the mode for you.
EcoStart allows the engine to turn on and off at traffic lights and other circumstances when it isn't needed. The user controls this using the foot brake, making a secondary press after coming to a stop to request a shutdown. To restart, the brake is released, and Voyo handles restarting the engine quickly and transmission engagement. More information is on our website.
Thanks for the interest!
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I had the same question as @shahab_21 . At first the differentiators weren't very obvious but looking at the response here seems like there is potential for a lot more. I think a lot of folks will have the same question, would be nice if there was some way for you to provide this clearly somewhere on Kickstarter or elsewhere?
I was actually considering this vs Automatic (for buying) but the pricing model (subscription model) and relays to buy put me in double minds. Goodluck on the kickstarter nonetheless!
Hi @shahab_21, the Automatic product, and 99% of our competitors, are relying on EPA-legislated OBD-II information, which is less than 1/100th of the information available on a modern vehicle. We are able to go model-by-model and offer very advanced data (available to developers through our soon-to-be-launched API), in addition to changing vehicle functionality (lock/unlock of doors, trunk, immobilization of vehicle, engine start/stop, idle reduction, etc). This is really a totally different type of animal, and represents a large leap forward in the connected car ecosystem. The bar has been raised! Thanks for your question.
Hello, I'm Robert, the CTO of Voyomotive, to provide some background on VOYO:
We originally set out to develop aftermarket technologies that could save fuel and reduce automotive pollution. The original devices were very rudimentary, but we didn't let that stop us!
Once we developed the electronic version of VOYO, we started to focus on acquiring advanced data from cars.
There was still a ways to go to have the complete plug and play solution we envisioned. The next step was to develop the Relays that work with VOYO to enable features such as Immobilizer, Stop @ Park, and EcoStart.
In 2014 we started working on version 4 of the VOYO and Relays. We were getting very close, in terms of performance, but the design was still lacking.
In order to make the overall VOYO experience more than just a driving one, we partnered with frog - a global, world renowned design and strategy firm. The frogVentures™ team was so impressed after taking a drive in a VOYO equipped car, they decided to invest in the company.
Even more importantly, frog assembled an outstanding team of designers, technologists and branding specialists to create the outer casings and packaging that are key elements of what makes VOYO unique.
We have developed fully functional prototypes of VOYO that have been tested on over a hundred vehicle models. We have lined up our parts suppliers, and are now creating the molds for the new frog-designed devices. Once everything is in hand, our manufacturing partner is ready to hit "go" and get VOYO and the Relays rolling off the production line.
At the same time, our development team is porting our phone App to our new User Interface and bringing up our Cloud based services. We plan to release an Android version of our App in early Q2 2016; the App version available in February/March 2016 will be for iOS 8.3 or higher.
Voyomotive’s headquarters are in San Francisco with the main research and development facility in Michigan (which is where I am writing you from). Thanks everyone!
Thanks @andrewjb44! There are a lot of cool things our platform enables, for example on-demand, plug and play car sharing, that might be useful to corporate fleets as well. This consumer launch is just the first step! :)
Hi @sarthakgrover, you don't need the relays to use the system - they just enable fuel saving and extra security features. There is no subscription charge to use the system, just for the Premium Pack, and if you buy with Kickstarter you get that for free too, indefinitely. Thanks!
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