Introduction to Smartcar API

Smartcar provides an API to simplify the integration of connected cars into third-party applications. The API allows to query information about the vehicle, such as fuel level, odometer, and location, as well as control certain functions, such as locking and unlocking doors, and starting and stopping the engine.

To use the Smartcar API, you need to create an application and authenticate the user with their vehicle. This can be done through the OAuth 2.0 protocol.

How to use the Smartcar API

The Smartcar API exposes various endpoints to interact with the vehicle. Here are some examples of how to use the API with JavaScript:

Authentication

To authenticate the user, you need to redirect them to Smartcar's authorization page:

const authUrl = smartcar.getAuthUrl({
  scope: ['read_vehicle_info', 'control_security'],
  redirectUri: 'https://example.com/callback'
});
window.location.href = authUrl;

After the user grants permission, Smartcar will redirect them back to the redirectUri with a one-time authorization code. You can use the code to exchange it for an access token:

smartcar.exchangeCode(code)
  .then(function(access) {
    console.log(access.accessToken);
  });

You can then use the accessToken to make requests to the Smartcar API.

Vehicle information

To retrieve information about the vehicle, you can call the vehicle.info() method:

vehicle.info().then(function(data) {
  console.log(data);
});

The data object will contain information about the vehicle, such as make, model, and VIN.

Lock and unlock

To lock or unlock the vehicle, you need to call the vehicle.lock() or vehicle.unlock() method:

vehicle.lock().then(function(response) {
  console.log(response);
});

The response object will contain information about whether the command was successful.

Start and stop

To start or stop the engine, you need to call the vehicle.startEngine() or vehicle.stopEngine() method:

vehicle.startEngine().then(function(response) {
  console.log(response);
});

The response object will contain information about whether the command was successful.

Conclusion

The Smartcar API provides a simple and convenient way to interact with connected cars. With just a few lines of JavaScript code, you can retrieve information about the vehicle and control certain functions. To learn more about the API, check out the official documentation.

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