What3words navigation is to be added into 150 million cars around the world, including Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Land Rover, Hyundai, Kia and more, in a new deal with the Here sat nav consortium.
The feature, which allows destinations to be set simply by entering three unique words, makes using in-car sat nav significantly easier.
Here is embedded into 4 in 5 new cars sold and the deal with What3words will significantly accelerate the roll-out of the function.
In cars fitted with voice assistants, What3words will allow motorists to set a sat nav destination simply by speaking three unique words.
What3words works by dividing the world into a precise grid of three-metre squares. Each has a unique combination of three unique words – a What3words address.
Here’s HQ, for example, is ///memory.traps.lease.
“Using a traditional address in a vehicle can be a bad experience,” said What3words CEO Chris Sheldrick.
“They are clunky and lengthy to type, and even a voice assistant will often mishear you.
“Once the address is accepted, it won’t take you to a precise location, such as the specific entrance you need: it’ll route you to where the pin drops – which is often the centre of the building.”
Here SVP Jorgen Behrens said the new functionality will “allow drivers to navigate easily in dense, urban environments with non-standard addressing schemes, or seamlessly get to any location – be it a local pub, or a trailhead”.
Here says adding the new What3words functionality is easy for car makers and sat nav suppliers.
Mr Sheldrick expect the function to now quickly start coming to both new cars and those already on the roads.
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