OnStar, Verizon preview the Volt's 4G LTE future at CES 2012
LAS VEGAS--Now that OnStar is courting app developers , it's going to be needing a bigger data pipe to feed the new mobile apps it's expecting for the next generation of OnStar-equipped vehicles.
This is where Verizon comes in with its broadband wireless network. OnStar and Big Red have jointly unveiled what they call a "second-generation connected research vehicle" at CES 2012. Based on a Chevrolet Volt, the research vehicle is connected to the cloud via Verizon's 4G LTE network and will be used to help test and develop new capabilities for OnStar's Advanced Telematics Operating System (ATOMS).
Armed with this new, more robust connection to the cloud, the OnStar research vehicle is able to stream Web and home content into the car with multiple zones. For example, the driver can stream podcasts, while each rear passenger is given independent control over his own local or streamed content. Rear passengers are also able to video chat via Skype and play games on the dual headrest-mounted monitors.