Automatic Updates iOS Alerting Drivers When They're Low on Gas

Automatic, the smart driving assistant that gives drivers information about fuel economy and car problems, has updated its iOS app to give users even more information about their car including notifications when they’re low on fuel or driving too fast.

Automatic 2.0 is the first major update to the iOS app since it was released last summer and includes a more modern and faster UI.  The Automatic app, which works in tandem with a $99 dongle that plugs into your car’s data port, turns regular cars into a smart cars, giving drivers insight into problems with their car (check engine light) and notifying authorities if they’re in a crash.

The 2.0 update will now show users their fuel level, estimate how many miles are left in the tank, and warn users with a push notification when they’re low on fuel (a customizable feature).  However, the fuel feature only works on “supported cars,” or cars that report their fuel level through the diagnostic port.  Automatic said that currently only half of cars connected with Automatic supporting this feature.

Automatic also updated its speed feature allowing users to adjust the speed when Automatic warns a person that they’re driving too fast (the default speed is currently 70 mph).  If users are driving past their specified threshold, they hear a chirp once, as opposed to a repeating chirp for the rest of the trip (unless a person dips below the threshold and crosses it again).

Automatic recently released the Android 1.0 version of its app and continues to build partnerships with other companies including Jawbone and IFTTT (if this than that) to create connections between triggers and actions on the Internet.  The company recently told us that it continues to see a large number of possibilities in the Internet of Things space and may continue to broaden its partnerships.