M, Volvo Car Mobility introduces ‘The Remote Heater’, an industry-first solution for shared mobility allowing customers to warm up the car straight from the app

For a long time, car owners have been using parking heaters to get to a warm car in the winter. Just in time for the seasonal temperature drop, M, Volvo Car Mobility launches the Remote Heater to enable customers to warm up their car straight from the app. Designed for comfort and accessibility, the industry-first feature enhances the winter driving experience while also having a few environmental benefits: warming up the car before driving reduces toxic emissions, overall fuel consumption, and engine wear.

So far, car development has focused on a customer who owns a car – and those who use it temporarily have missed out on a lot of what a modern car can offer. M wants to provide customers with features that have previously been exclusively available for car owners; the Remote Heater launch is further proof of that ambition. Erik Jivmark, COO at M, Volvo Car Mobility, says that M's platform has the unique advantage of being wholly owned and not depending on third-party solutions:

- The fact that we have built and developed our platform in-house means that we can design the entire customer journey rather than just focusing on the last step in the car sharing process; accessing a car. Instead, we can continuously analyze customer feedback and improve all parts of the customer experience with software development, integration of the service in the app, and the car's technology.

The Remote Heater is M's latest feature designed to put the customer and their convenience at the heart of the shared mobility experience. The Remote Heater brings convenience as well as environmental advantages: warming up a car before driving reduces toxic emissions, overall fuel consumption, and engine wear. Instead of spending precious time de-icing car windows, drivers can now enjoy the comfort of entering a warm car without delay.

It's the close collaboration between M and Volvo Cars that makes this type of product development possible. By combining areas of expertise in shared mobility and vehicle hardware, the two related companies are uniquely positioned to develop technologically advanced solutions in line with today's connected consumer needs. The Remote Heater is the third industry-first solution that M has launched this year, following its release of the M Button and digital key sharing.

How it works:

• The customer starts the Remote Heater with only a tap in the app, and the car begins warming up for 15 minutes. You can stop the Remote Heater at any point during those 15 minutes.
• The app will detect if the car is already warm or parked at an indoor station. In those cases, the heater will not activate to ensure a sustainable and safe service.