Vicki Butler-Henderson: Our homes could benefit from the joys of in-car gadgets

By Vicki Butler-Henderson

October 5 2022, 5:00 pm

Vicki Butler-Henderson.

We are almost a week into October and I hope I’m not alone in having had at least one ‘what, it’s autumn already?!’ moment.

Despite not being quite ready for them sometimes, I do love each new season and the reassuring cycle of rituals they bring, from being woken by early summer sunshine, to dusting off the bike lights for winter.

Now is the time of year where I enjoy one of the best creature comforts ever invented for a car – a heated steering wheel.

Once you’ve experienced the warmth seeping into your cold fingers followed by a perceptible inner glow, you’ll never want to face the frost without one.

Who wants to face a frosty winter morning without a heated steering wheel?

Homes should be as well-equipped as cars

When it comes to gadgets in our cars, there seems to be a much greater choice than the ones available for our homes.

Why doesn’t the local sofa shop give you the option of adding heating, cooling, massaging, vibrating, gripping, tilting and height adjustment on a three-seater?

And where’s the remote-controlled central locking system for the whole house, let alone the one that can shut all the windows at the same time?

In the spring and summer months, owners of convertible cars look like they’re having the best fun.

Even in a traffic jam they’re basking in the sun’s warmth, topping up on Vitamin D and seemingly having a nicer time than the rest of us.

Imagine being able to do that with your house? At the press of a (big) button, your ceiling could slide back and give you alfresco living in an instant. I’d love it.

Best tech could be used at home

With more of us working from home now, maybe we should incorporate more of a car’s cabin into our work place.

How about a cup holder on the desk that keeps our coffee hot during a marathon webinar? And a cool box underneath for those sneaky snack attacks?

When it comes to audio equipment, the best we own is often in the car.

And since 2014, the easiest way to plug into pop, podcasts and PMQs on the move has been by using Apple CarPlay – a super smart bit of tech that lets you plug your phone into the car to give access to everything on your mobile.

It can even be retro-fitted to most cars for around £300 – so surely, then, not much more to have it fitted to your home…?!

Perhaps the only feature a car can’t share with a house is a set of wheels.

Oh hang on, we’ve got those already and the clue’s in the name – motorhomes.

And yes, I’ve just checked, they can come with a heated steering wheel.