Aussie voice-activated caravans a world first: Jayco

Australians will be the first caravanners in the world to experience a voice-activated production RV, a leading caravan and RV manufacturer claims.

Jayco says its signature Silverline 2019 range now has a personal virtual assistant – Amazon Alexa – making voice commands possible in a production RV.

Voice commands range from “Alexa, play songs by my favourite artist” and “Alexa, check today’s weather forecast”through to “Alexa, change my TV channel”, the company states.

Other voice commands include:

• Set timers or reminders: “Alexa, set a timer for 15 minutes”
• Turn the air conditioning on or off: “Alexa, turn on the air conditioning”
• While listening to music in Amazon Music: "Alexa, buy this song" or "Alexa, buy this album"
• Turn the volume up or down: “Alexa, turn the volume up”
• Get traffic information: "Alexa, what's my commute look like?" or "Alexa, what's traffic like?”
• Turn lights on or off: "Alexa, turn on the lights" or "Alexa, turn off the lights."
• The highest number of domestic caravan and camping visitors in history was recorded last year (2018), growing by a massive 71 per cent from 2017, Jayco claims.

The company is focused on making caravanning trips more effortless, Jayco Australia CEO, Garry Moore, says. 

“We rely heavily on technology when it comes to our home and work lives, and it shouldn’t be any different when it comes to your caravan,” he says. “The introduction of Amazon Alexa in the iconic Jayco Silverline opens up a whole new luxury caravanning experience for domestic travellers across the country."

The addition of Alexa isn't the only new tech for the Silverline, which now also includes a 360-degree surround view camera for the caravan, a Bluetooth operated electric awning, and a wi-fi extender to allow you to stay online when you're roaming.

Are you happy to see this sort of tech coming to caravans? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.