Skip to main content

Heading home? Let Mercedes-Benz and Nest thermostats prep your house for arrival

Car companies are hellbent on making their products part of the “Internet of Things”, and the latest example of that is a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Nest.

The Germany automaker is developing that will allow a car to communicate with a Nest smart thermostat, giving an estimated time of arrival so the thermostat has adequate time to preheat or cool the driver’s house.

Recommended Videos

The idea behind this coordination is to save energy and limit driver distraction.

In theory, a Nest system won’t waste electricity heating a house while the owner is stuck in traffic, and Mercedes hopes automating the interface will keep people from fiddling with smartphones while they’re behind the wheel.

The Nest integration works through the Mercedes Digital DriveStyle app, which requires an iPhone and a car equipped with the Drive Kit Plus package. The app controls all smartphone-car connectivity features, including social media, music, and navigation.

The collaboration with Mercedes is part of Nest’s “Works with Nest” campaign to connect its devices with other companies’ products. Mercedes is the only carmaker to sign up so far, but Nest has also started partnerships with companies like Google, Logitech, and Whirlpool.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV vs. BMW i7: Ultra-luxury, head-to-head
Front three quarter view of the 2023 BMW i7.

If you're looking for a luxury electric vehicle, you have many more options available to you than buyers looking for budget options. Sure, there are options from the new companies, like Lucid, but there's still something to be said for options from the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which have both been building solid electric cars for some time now. Excellent examples of these include the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and the BMW i7.

Both of these cars are among the most luxurious in their respective lineups, offering high-end technology, stunning interior designs, and more. But is one actually better for your needs? Here's a look.
Design
The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV follows the same overall design language as many of Mercedes' other electric vehicles from the past few years. That's to say, it has the somewhat bulbous nose that can be found on the standard EQS -- a design feature that I'm not a huge fan of. The rest of the car isn't bad-looking, though. As expected, it's a little taller than the standard EQS, with a light bar along the back for the brake lights.

Read more
Mercedes-Benz brings ChatGPT voice control to its cars
The interior of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

The AI-powered chatbot that’s taken the world by storm this year is gradually edging its way into various parts of our lives, including our cars.

Keen for a piece of the action, Mercedes-Benz announced recently that it’s bringing ChatGPT to voice control in its vehicles as part of a plan to make its Hey Mercedes voice assistant “even more intuitive.”

Read more
Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven concept looks to the past for inspiration
Overhead view of the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven concept.

Mercedes-Benz this week unveiled a new electric concept car that looks back as well as forward. It's called the Vision One-Eleven, and it's a reminder that car designers have a long history of predicting the future.

The Vision One-Eleven is inspired by the C111 series of experimental vehicles that first appeared in 1969. With their aerodynamic styling, roof-hinged gullwing doors, and distinctive orange paint, the C111 cars became fixtures of auto show stands and car-magazine features throughout the 1970s. They were more than show cars, though, testing then-trendy ideas like fiberglass body panels and rotary engines.

Read more