Nest Teams Up With Automatic for Energy Saving Temperature Tweaks Based on Vehicle Activity - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Nest Teams Up With Automatic for Energy Saving Temperature Tweaks Based on Vehicle Activity

by

During CES 2015, Nest announced a number of new partnerships, including one with auto accessory maker Automatic. For those unfamiliar with Automatic, the company produces an easy-to-use OBD port accessory that plugs into a range of different vehicles to provide at-a-glance car information on the iPhone.

Automatic's Connected Car Adapter is now capable of interfacing with the Nest Thermostat, letting customers create new interactions that will allow the Nest Thermostat to be adjusted based on vehicle activity.

For example, users can create a setting in the Nest app that wakes the Nest up when the car gets near to the house, or set it to Away mode when leaving to save energy. The Nest and Automatic integration allows the thermostat to detect the location of the car, so it's possible to set the Nest Thermostat to adjust house temperatures as a user is driving towards their home.

A wide variety of rules can be created through the new integration between the two products, using filters for location, time of day, day of the week, and more, for more precise control over temperature when away from the home.

automaticnest

The Automatic integration offers customers a chance to maximize potential savings through intelligently chosen rules that give the Nest thermostat a more timely understanding of when heating or cooling is needed--and when it's not needed.

"At Automatic, we've focused on saving people money from the very start with our fuel-efficiency coaching, which has saved many users hundreds per year on fuel costs. Now we're thrilled to extend the connected car's benefits into people's homes, to make life more automated, convenient, and efficient," said Thejo Kote, CEO of Automatic. "The home and car are people's two most expensive budget items. The Automatic and Nest platforms now work together to make those less of a burden in every way we can."

Both Nest and Automatic have been working hard to build partnerships to connect their products to a range of other devices. Automatic, for example, also integrates with the Jawbone UP, select Ford vehicles, and app IFTTT.


The Nest Thermostat now works with an even wider range of products, including Whirlpool washers and dryers, Philips hue lights, Kevo Smart Lock, Dropcam, Rachio sprinklers, August Smart Lock, and more.

The Nest Thermostat can be purchased from the Nest website for $249.

The Automatic connected car adapter can be purchased from the Automatic website for $99.95.

Top Rated Comments

johncarync Avatar
148 months ago
The dog in that video...

The dog in the video is thinking, "I'm so glad you're home! Whenever you leave it gets so freakin' cold in here!"
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lincolntran Avatar
148 months ago
The day Nest was bought by google was the day I stopped purchasing anything nest related.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smileyborg Avatar
148 months ago
I don't understand why the Nest iOS and Android apps don't add Geofencing support to use your phone's location to determine when you are and aren't home. Why do you need to rely on a third-party device for your car to achieve this?!?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
148 months ago
How does this work with 2 or more people living at one house. When one drives away suddenly the Nest is set to away?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
148 months ago
The day Nest was bought by google was the day I stopped purchasing anything nest related.

I’ll buy an extra one to make up for the lost sale.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
148 months ago
I have my Nest go auto-away when both of our iPhones leave the home network. Saves a *ton* of money in Phoenix summers.

I just ping the phones and control Nest via https://github.com/gboudreau/nest-api (from our fileserver Mac Mini in a closet somewhere in the house).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple's Next Era Begins September 1

Thursday May 7, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company. Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Instagram Feature 2

PSA: Instagram Encrypted Messaging Ends on Friday, May 8

Tuesday May 5, 2026 8:24 am PDT by
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform. Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...
macbook neo launch day

Apple May Drop Base $599 MacBook Neo as Chip, DRAM Costs Climb

Thursday May 7, 2026 4:55 am PDT by
Apple is considering dropping the cheapest MacBook Neo configuration as one possible response to the rising cost of building the popular laptop, according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan. The Neo currently starts at $599 for a 256GB model, with a 512GB version at $699. Writing in his latest Culpium newsletter, Culpan says cutting the entry-level...