Chevrolet Volt To Feature BlackBerry, iPhone App [American All-Electric Car To Use Mobile Phone App To Control 'Some' Car Functions]

The American car industry may be in trouble, but they’re still trying new things. Last week at the LA Auto Show, American car giant Chevrolet gave a press conference on the Chevy Volt, their all-electric car, and revealed a quick PowerPoint slide that the carmaker was developing a mobile phone app to control ’some car functions’.

A source within General Motors (Chevrolet’s parent company) leaked to Volt blog gm-volt.com and revealed that the app will first come out for the iPhone and BlackBerry, and will be released before the car’s release. The Volt mobile phone app will allow users to set specific schedules for their car’s recharging cycles, like at night when the power usage rates are lower.

The GM leak also said that some features from GM’s OnStar in-car safety system could be incorporated into the mobile app. gm-volt.com’s writer speculates that things like when the car is fully charged, and possibly a warning that the car is not plugged in could also be incorporated to the app.

No information on pricing was released. It would be nice if a free download code for the apps were quietly tucked inside the glove compartment when you took the car home from the dealership – but considering the state of the American car industry, they’ll probably charge you $9.99 for it.