Volvo brings in-car payments with integrated pay-by-app parking application

US pay-by-app parking service Parkmobile released a new application which is compatible with Volvo’s updated infotainment systems.

Online Payments which began with personal computers has been rapidly moving on to other internet connected devices. The growth of mobile usage with smart and connected devices brought with it a rise in mobile payments. New generation SmartTVs also support the idea of online payments. One device, many of us come in contact with everyday, has also become smarter over the last few years, your car’s entertainment system.

Parkmobile, a pay-by-app parking service similar to Pango, has developed a new version of their application which is compatible with Volvo’s new generation of Sensus Connect infotainment systems. Sensus Connect is a Cloud connected in-car operating system with its own mobile internet connection. Internet connected cars have been around for a few years now, but with proprietary operating systems spanning over dozens of companies and models, creating a standard eco-system to support applications is nearly impossible. For these reasons car companies and app developers are teaming up to offer their own versions of applications.

The new updated version of Sensus Connect was unveiled at The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this past week, and showcased the new pay for parking application directly from the cars in-dash screen. The Parkmobile application works as its mobile counterpart, credit card details are entered and stored beforehand, allowing the user to press a button on the screen to begin the parking session. Sensus Connect uses GPS and a feature called car2infrastructure to determine location and available parking. The car2infrastructure feature allows the car to communicate with its surroundings and other vehicles.

Volvo and Parkmobile were not the only companies showcasing in-car payments at CES. Ford, in cooperation with Domino’s Pizza, demonstrated a new application working with Ford’s MyFord Touch infotainment system allowing for users to order and pay for pizza from within the vehicle.

As cars, much like other smart-devices, are getting smarter we should be seeing more convenience oriented applications being made available on in-dash screens.

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