The Connected Car: An Empirical Study of Electric Cars as Mobile Digital Devices

The amount of interactive digital technology in cars is increasing rapidly, and many new cars are shipped with connectivity. As a result, a new platform has emerged that holds potentials to facilitate many new and different interactions, both inside and outside the car. Within the area of HCI for cars, the focus has predominantly been on interactions with in-vehicle systems and applications of technology that is enabled through connectivity. However, we still lack in-depth empirical studies that provide details of the connected car, its use, opinions towards it, and how it integrates into people's everyday lives. We report from a qualitative study of 13 households with connected electric cars. We present our findings in 3 themes of interaction through connectivity, updating and upgrading car software, and security and privacy. We further discuss our findings in 3 themes that might inform and inspire further mobile HCI research with the connected car.