Anybody who owns a smartphone will know just how hot all that glass, silicon and metal can get on a warm day or during heavy usage.
Not just a little disconcerting, it can also drain the phone’s battery life at a higher rate than normal and also slow processing speeds to a crawl, which can be frustrating when you’re on the move.
Enter Chevrolet, which says it has good news for tech fans with the introduction of a new air-conditioning system designed specifically to keep your phone cool while in a hot car.
Dubbed Active Phone Cooling, the new feature directs air from the car’s climate control straight into the charging dock where the phone rests to help lower the device’s temperature.
Although it might seem like an obvious thing to do, Chevy claims that it’s the first carmaker in the world to offer it. Engineer Dan Lascu said: “Innovation doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel. Sometimes simplicity offers the most elegant solution to a problem.”
Chevrolet says that it will be particularly useful when the phone is paired with the car’s infotainment system, as streaming music, taking calls and using navigation apps can all cause it to overheat.
Given the delicate nature of modern phones, in particular the iPhone 6 which can bend under heat, it’s likely that many diehard tech fans won’t have to think twice about this particular upgrade.
Due to be rolled out first on the 2016 Impala and Malibu models, Active Phone Cooling will also be introduced on the Cruze and Volt ranges from next year onwards.
Although Chevrolet announced its departure from the UK market this year, it’s possible that similar tech could show up on other General Motors-owned brands like Vauxhall, though this has yet to be confirmed.
