Google will assist GM in phasing out Apple CarPlay in EVs

The General Motors company (GM.N) plans to phase out the popular Apple CarPlay and Android Auto technologies that allow drivers to bypass their vehicles' infotainment systems and replace them with built-in infotainment systems developed with Google for future electric vehicles.

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Users of the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay systems can display their smartphone screens on the dashboard of their car.

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The decision by General Motors to stop offering such systems in future electric vehicles, starting with the Chevrolet Blazer 2024, could help the automaker gather more information about how EV drivers and chargers use their vehicles more effectively.

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A partnership between General Motors (GM) and Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O) is being developed for the onboard navigation and infotainment systems of future electric vehicles.

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There will be a setback for Apple Inc (AAPL.O) as it phases out the CarPlay smartphone projection technology, which represents a setback in its fight with Google for the dominance of vehicle dashboard real estate in North America in the near future. Chevrolet, a subsidiary of General Motors, has in the past boasted that it offers more models with CarPlay or Android Auto than any other brand in the industry.

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Google has been collaborating with GM since 2019 to create the software foundations of infotainment systems that will be more tightly integrated with other vehicle systems, such as GM's Super Cruise driver assistance system, in order to make the infotainment systems more effective and efficient. As the automaker aims to make its EVs a platform for digital subscription services, it is intensifying its strategy.

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GM has set a goal of eliminating the production of all new combustion-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035.

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The chief digital officer at GM, Edward Kummer, and Mike Himche, executive director of the digital cockpit experience, both stated in an interview that GM would benefit from putting engineers and investment into a single approach to better connecting in-vehicle navigation and infotainment with features like assisted driving.

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There will be a lot of new driver assistance features coming in the coming months that are tightly related to navigation," Himche told Trade Algo. "We don't want to design these features in a way to make them dependant on the person having a cellphone."

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GM said that EV buyers who buy GM EVs with the new systems will be able to use Google Maps and Google Assistant, a voice-command-based system, for free for eight years when they buy GM EV vehicles with these systems. The company said the future infotainment systems will be able to offer services such as Spotify's (SPOT.N) music service, Audible, as well as other services that most drivers now use via their smartphones as a means of accessing technology.

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By 2030, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra aims to generate $20 billion to $25 billion in revenue from subscriptions by the end of the decade. "We do believe there are subscription revenue opportunities for us," Kummer said.

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GM intends to continue to offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring systems in all its combustion engine vehicles. The mirroring technologies are still available to owners of vehicles that are equipped with the mirroring technology, so owners of these vehicles will be able to take advantage of them.

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It is also expected that drivers will still be able to listen to music or make calls on their iPhones or Android smartphones using Bluetooth wireless connectivity, GM stated.