Photo courtesy of DriveNow

Photo courtesy of DriveNow

DriveNow, the carsharing joint venture of the BMW Group and Sixt SE, has announced the launch of its skill for Amazon Alexa. DriveNow customers who own Alexa devices, such as Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, can use voice commands to reserve nearby vehicles and get details on their car and reservation time.

The DriveNow Skill for Alexa can be enabled free of charge in the Alexa app and Alexa skills store.

“The DriveNow Skill for Alexa makes it even more convenient to reserve vehicles from home,” said Nico Gabriel, DriveNow’s managing director. “Customers receive information on the nearest vehicles within seconds using voice commands and can reserve their vehicle of choice without having to use their smartphone.”

Amazon’s Alexa voice service has a variety of functions, including controlling lights and sound systems, discussing news, and playing music.

“The ‘smart home’ trend should not just be limited to digitizing everyday life within our own four walls,” said Sebastian Hofelich, DriveNow’s co-managing director. “By integrating DriveNow with Alexa, our aim is to connect smart living with modern mobility.”

DriveNow customers can use the DriveNow Skill by saying “Open DriveNow,” and Alexa will provide details about the nearest available vehicle. The car of choice can then be directly reserved and cancelled again through voice.

Customers can also ask Alexa for information on their remaining reservation period and for details on their chosen vehicle, such as its type and fuel level. If a customer reserves a DriveNow vehicle using Alexa, the reservation is displayed in the DriveNow app, according to the company.

“The new DriveNow Skill is an outstanding example of the numerous advantages offered by voice control,” says David Kaiser, country manager of Germany, Alexa Skills. “We’re delighted that Alexa users will be able to find and reserve a vehicle even more easily from now on, and can therefore enjoy a more convenient carsharing experience.”

The DriveNow Alexa Skill is available in Germany, Austria, and the U.K. DriveNow customers can activate the skill using the Alexa app.

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