GM caused an uproar last year when the automaker announced it was getting rid of the popular phone mirroring systems Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles, specifically its EVs. Now one aftermarket company is bringing back Car and Android Auto via a kit that you can purchase.
First spotted by InsideEVs, the kit is available from a company called White Automotive & Media Services. Called the CarPlay and Android Auto upgrade kit for EVs, it adds the phone mirroring systems back to the EVs infotainment systems. This isn’t some cheap looking gimmick either.
A video posted to YouTube by the company shows a GM EV running the system and it looks normal, as if it was fitted right from the factory. Best of all, for those of you who hate the wired phone mirroring connection, there is wireless and even HUD capability as the description details.
This upgrade includes fully integrated wired and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto in all the ways you’ve come to expect (and some you haven’t!) without compromising any existing features or functionality. Full onscreen CarPlay and Android Auto, fully integrated Infotainment display source menu integration as well as Instrument Cluster media display/now playing, source lists etc. Even full Apple Maps integration in the Instrument Cluster and Turn-by-Turn Navigation instructions on the HUD (if equipped).
The downsides to the system? The company is not exactly saying how any of this works, or listing a price (yet) and it’s not available on every GM Ultium EV. From the company’s site, it’s only available on the Chevy Equinox, Blazer and GMC Sierra EVs and on the Chevy Silverado EV but only on the LT and RST trims. The system is also not widely available just yet. White Automotive admitted that the vehicles are complex and, given that fact, they wanted OEM hands installing it. So, for now, LaFontaine Chevrolet, a dealership in Dexter, Michigan, is the only dealer that can do the work. If you’re a GM EV owner and you’re interested you can book an appointment through White Automotive’s website.
The system should be welcomed with open arms by owners. The pitchforks were out for the automaker when it announced that it was developing its own Google based infotainment system for use in its EVs. GM tried saying everything to justify its reasoning for getting rid of CarPlay and Android Auto, from safety issues to promising its system would be just as good as CarPlay. Some at the automaker even tried to ignore all the negative press, saying that it would all pass eventually. Even dealers were skeptical over the decision. Now with an aftermarket option that looks like it came from OEM, this could very well be the thing that makes GM reverse its decision and bring back CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles.