Owners of certain Kias can now control a number of vehicle functions —such as start and stop the engine and heat or cool their cars, depending on model and model year—using simple voice commands from the comfort of their home. Called UVO Skill, the system also allows owners to lock doors, sound the horn and flash the lights, and start and stop charging their plug-in or electric vehicle whenever they choose. All that’s needed is a device with Amazon Alexa like Echo or Echo Dot and one of the following Kia vehicles with compatible UVO hardware: Niro PHEV, Soul EV , Optima PHEV and K900. UVO Skill set-up is easy via the Alexa companion app.

Marking an important step in the future of electric vehicles, the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI) and Mojo Mobility, Inc. (Mojo) have completed a three-year project to develop a fast-charging wireless power transfer system on a test fleet of Kia Soul EVs . The project, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, paves the way for the future of electric vehicles in which plugs are no longer necessary.

At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show today, Kia Motors America (KMA) announced the addition of UVO Agent for compatible Kia vehicles, which allows Kia owners to interact with the Google Assistant on their phones or Google Home to execute a variety of remote commands. The Kia integration with the Google Assistant is now available for use in the following Kia vehicles with compatible UVO hardware; the 2018 Niro PHEV, Soul EV, Optima PHEV and K900.