Skip to main content

Cloud-based Carport connects cars to homes and families with seamless car integration

We mentioned Vinli before as one of the hot new car adapters that not only gives users ODB II port info, but also turns cars into 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspots. On top of that, it works in conjunction with a suite of smartphone apps that connects drivers to a network of services for both maintenance and utility. These things are certainly handy, but shouldn’t those hands be on the wheel instead of on a phone?

Today at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show, Vinli announced Carport, a cloud-based system that packs all these features seamlessly into the dashboard of your vehicle.

Recommended Videos

The main difference between Carport and the Vinli adapter is that Carport will be installed by auto manufacturers and work within the dashboard infotainment system. From here, drivers can have access to the same app suite that Vinli offers on the phone, but in a more integrated, streamlined manner.

Vinli Carport
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Carport has a few neat tricks built in even without loading up on third party apps. Carport Home Connect links your car up with smart home products like the Nest thermostat and Samsung SmartThings devices. Leaving and arriving then initializes functions like turning heat up or switching on security cameras.

Carport Beagle will let households with multiple cars keep track of each other, not only by mapping thier location, but also with alerts that inform cautious parents that their pride and joy went over a pre-set speed limit, for example. The location services also connect to a roadside assistance network that can be on call with the press of a button in case users encounter any automotive mishaps.

Vinli Carport
Image used with permission by copyright holder

To prevent those, Carport has My Service Shop that keeps tabs of maintenance milestones on a personalized timeline, giving drivers a visible graphic of when they last changed the car’s oil, rotated tires, or swapped a battery. There’s even a mileage ticker that counts down to the next service interval to help avoid overshooting it.

It all sounds pretty handy, but it’s still too early to know which auto manufacturers will carry Vinli in their vehicles or how it works in the real world. Either way, adding the car into a network of smart devices further supplants the car as more than a means of conveyance, but one of the most versatile mobile devices in our lives today.

Alexander Kalogianni
Former Automotive Editor
Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…
I tried an e-bike for the first time and now I’m hooked
It’s not about being a 'bike person', it’s about finding small upgrades to everyday life
A woman sitting on the Aventon Pace 4

Before this year, I’d never even touched an e-bike before, and the thought of riding one was never on my radar. With life already in constant motion thanks to two toddlers, biking wasn’t something I ever considered adding to the mix.

I’d always assumed e-bikes were for hardcore commuters or serious cyclists, not someone like me. I wasn’t looking for a big lifestyle change. I just wanted a quicker way to get to the park so we’d have more time to play before dinner.

Read more
This week in EV tech: Audi exemplifies auto industry’s EV holding pattern
Close-up of 2025 Audi SQ5 grille, headlight, and badge.

The road to the future runs through the present, and it’s not a straight line. This week, we’re focusing on how Audi is negotiating the twists and turns on the way to an electrified future. EVs are here to stay at Audi, but a gasoline crossover SUV is still the automaker’s bestselling model, and it’s not ready to risk those sales just yet. That’s why the 2025 Audi Q5 received a top-to-bottom overhaul for this model year, bringing its tech features and styling up to date without altering the what has proven to be a very popular package. By maintaining parallel lineups of electric and internal-combustion cars, Audi hopes to give customers more choices. But that doesn’t completely level the playing field. The new Q5 may have yesterday’s powertrain, but Audi isn’t holding back on tech. It features the same electrical architecture, operating system, and three-screen dashboard display as the latest Audi EVs, like the Q6 e-tron. So aside from a little engine noise, there’s little difference in what you can see and interact with from the driver’s seat. It’s not just the infotainment systems. The Q5 and Q6 e-tron are close in size, with similar space for passengers across their two rows of seats. The Q6 e-tron has a bit more cargo space, but not as much as you’d think given the lack of a bulky engine, transmission, and driveshafts. The two SUVs also have similar styling but, having now driven both, we can say that the Q5 is the more pleasant of the two.

More than a difference of powertrain tech

Read more
Take a peek inside the factory making tomorrow’s ride
A Zoox robotaxi.

Amazon-owned Zoox has opened its first facility producing fully autonomous robotaxis. 

A video (above) released by the California-based company offers a peek inside the factory, which, when it reaches full capacity, could roll out as many as 10,000 autonomous vehicles per year.

Read more