What Consumers Really Know About Automotive Software

When it comes to today’s cars and SUVs, we certainly appreciate a sleek exterior and stunning interior, but it’s what you don’t see that really revs our engines – the software that keeps vehicles performing optimally and powers the features we love.

Sonatus provides a vehicle platform that allows automakers to build software-defined vehicles that can be updated with new features and functionality throughout their lifetimes, so we’re very well-versed in the automotive software landscape. We understand the role software plays in keeping vehicles secure, diagnosing maintenance issues, delivering an exceptional infotainment experience, and so much more. Because we’re so passionate about automotive software and what it enables, it’s easy to assume everyone shares that enthusiasm and knowledge. We don’t like making assumptions, however, so we decided to put this to the test and conduct a survey exploring how much consumers know about automotive software, how they feel about automotive cybersecurity, and more. Here’s what we found:

Survey Findings

  • Over-the-air (OTA) software updates, which are used to fix bugs and add new features to a variety of connected devices including mobile phones, are becoming increasingly common in automotive. Despite their growing prevalence, nearly 40% of consumers we polled don’t know if their cars can be updated through over-the-air (OTA) software updates.
    • This jumps to over half of respondents aged 45 and older, suggesting there’s a wider knowledge gap among older generations.

  • When it comes to acceptance of automotive OTA software updates, during which a car typically needs to be turned off and inoperable, time is of the essence.
    • Only 27% of consumers would tolerate 5 or more weekly OTA updates if they were 30 mins each, but that jumps to 41% if each update took just 30 seconds.

  • Consumers are willing to pay a premium to avoid trips to the dealership for maintenance and/or repairs – 62% of respondents would pay at least $250 extra for a car that could have 95% of software maintenance and problem resolutions done remotely, and over a third of respondents (34.5%) would spend over $1,000.

  • Despite a seemingly constant barrage of headlines around cars being hacked, over a third (36%) of consumers are not concerned about this.

  • Of the respondents that do have concerns about automotive cybersecurity, the fear of their vehicle being stolen tops the list – 60% of respondents citing that as a key concern, followed by 55% that reported concerns of hackers gaining access to their personal data, 53% that have concerns about location tracking, and 52% that are concerned about hackers interfering with driving capabilities.

  • Given these concerns, it makes sense that many consumers would pay a premium to protect their vehicles. We found that 60% of respondents are willing to pay at least $250 on additional security features, and 30% would spend over $1,000.
    • The youngest generation of car buyers are even more willing to spend on added security, with more than two-thirds of respondents (67.2%) aged 18-24 willing to spend at least $250, and nearly 40% (38.5%) are willing to spend over $1,000.

If you’re an automaker and would like to learn more about Sonatus’ software-defined vehicle platform click below to request a demo or contact us.

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Want to dig into the results further? We’ve included the full set of results below, including a gender and age breakdown.

GENERAL POPULATION (NON-STRATIFIED RESULTS)

  1. Are you aware that some vehicles can be serviced and improved remotely through “over-the-air” software updates, similar to a smartphone or tablet, instead of requiring a trip to the dealership?
    1. Yes = 60.6%
    2. No = 39.4%
  2. How much more would you pay upfront for a vehicle if 95% of its required software maintenance and problem resolutions could be done remotely, over-the-air, without requiring a trip to the dealership?
    1. $0 (included in base price of vehicle) = 16.9%
    2. $1 – $250 = 21.1%
    3. $251 – $1,000 = 27.6%
    4. $1,001 – $2,500 = 19.6%
    5. More than $2,500 = 14.9%
  3. If each over-the-air software update required that your car be turned off and remain inoperable for 30 minutes, how many updates would you be willing to make each week?
    1. 0 = 10.4%
    2. 1-2 = 37.5%
    3. 3-4 = 24.2%
    4. 5-6 = 13.4%
    5. 7 or more =14.4%
  4. If each over-the-air software update required that your car be turned off and remain inoperable for 30 seconds, how many updates would you be willing to make each week?
    1. 0 = 9.9%
    2. 1-2 = 25.7%
    3. 3-4 = 23.5%
    4. 5-6 = 15.2%
    5. 7 or more = 25.7%
  5. Are you concerned that someone might be able to remotely hack into your vehicle?
    1. Yes = 64.3%
    2. No = 35.7%
  6. If someone did remotely hack into your vehicle, which of the following are you concerned they could do? (Select all that apply)
    1. Steal possessions in the car = 45.2%
    2. Steal the car =60.1%
    3. Steal/access your personal data = 54.7%
    4. Track your location = 53.1%
    5. Interfere with driving capabilities (i.e adjust gear controls and speed levels) = 52.3%
  7. How much would you pay for proactive security features that would prevent a new car from being hacked?
    1. $0 (included in base price of vehicle) = 16.4%
    2. $1 – $250 = 24.0%
    3. $251 – $1,000 = 29.42%
    4. $1,001 – $2,500  = 16.93%
    5. More than $2,500 = 13.24%

AGE SPLIT

  1. Are you aware that some vehicles can be serviced and improved remotely through “over-the-air” software updates, similar to a smartphone or tablet, instead of requiring a trip to the dealership?
    1. Yes
      1. 18 – 24 = 62.3%
      2. 25 – 34 = 65.2%
      3. 35 – 44 = 66.7%
      4. 45 – 54 = 49.8%
      5. >54 = 47.2%
    2. No
      1. 18 – 24 = 36.8%
      2. 25 – 34 = 34.8%
      3. 35 – 44 = 33.3%
      4. 45 – 54 = 50.2%
      5. >54 = 52.8%
  2. How much more would you pay upfront for a vehicle if 95% of its required software maintenance and problem resolutions could be done remotely, over-the-air, without requiring a trip to the dealership?
    1. $0 (included in base price of vehicle)
      1. 18 – 24 = 11.7%
      2. 25 – 34 = 14.8%
      3. 35 – 44 = 17.0%
      4. 45 – 54 = 17.7%
      5. >54 = 24.7%
    2. $1 – $250
      1. 18 – 24 = 19.9%
      2. 25 – 34 = 19.5%
      3. 35 – 44 = 19.0%
      4. 45 – 54 = 23.5%
      5. >54 = 26.8%
    3. $251 – $1,000
      1. 18 – 24 = 28.1%
      2. 25 – 34 = 28.9%
      3. 35 – 44 = 29.5%
      4. 45 – 54 = 25.8%
      5. >54 = 22.1%
    4. $1,001 – $2,500
      1. 18 – 24 = 22.1%
      2. 25 – 34 = 22.8%
      3. 35 – 44 = 17.8%
      4. 45 – 54 = 17.7%
      5. >54 = 17.0%
    5. More than $2,500
      1. 18 – 24 = 18.2%
      2. 25 – 34 = 18.9%
      3. 35 – 44 = 16.8%
      4. 45 – 54 = 15.4%
      5. >54 = 9.4%
  3. If each over-the-air software update required that your car be turned off and remain inoperable for 30 minutes, how many updates would you be willing to make each week?
    1. 0
      1. 18 – 24 = 10.0%
      2. 25 – 34 = 11.3%
      3. 35 – 44 = 6.5%
      4. 45 – 54 = 8.6%
      5. >54 = 18.7%
    2. 1 – 2
      1. 18 – 24 = 35.5%
      2. 25 – 34 = 41.7%
      3. 35 – 44 = 37.2%
      4. 45 – 54 = 35.6%
      5. >54 = 34.5%
    3. 3 – 4
      1. 18 – 24 = 25.5%
      2. 25 – 34 = 23.5%
      3. 35 – 44 = 27.4%
      4. 45 – 54 = 23.5%
      5. >54 = 18.3%
    4. 5 – 6
      1. 18 – 24 = 15.6%
      2. 25 – 34 = 12.7%
      3. 35 – 44 = 13.7%
      4. 45 – 54 = 14.5%
      5. >54 = 11.1%
    5. 7 or more
      1. 18 – 24 = 13.4%
      2. 25 – 34 = 10.8%
      3. 35 – 44 = 15.1%
      4. 45 – 54 = 17.7%
      5. >54 = 17.5%
  4. If each over-the-air software update required that your car be turned off and remain inoperable for 30 seconds, how many updates would you be willing to make each week?
    1. 0
      1. 18 – 24 = 11.3%
      2. 25 – 34 = 9.4%
      3. 35 – 44 = 7.2%
      4. 45 – 54 = 12.2%
      5. >54 = 13.2%
    2. 1 – 2
      1. 18 – 24 = 23.8%
      2. 25 – 34 = 27.5%
      3. 35 – 44 = 26.2%
      4. 45 – 54 = 22.6%
      5. >54 = 26.0%
    3. 3 – 4
      1. 18 – 24 = 22.9%
      2. 25 – 34 = 26.1%
      3. 35 – 44 = 27.0%
      4. 45 – 54 = 20.4%
      5. >54 = 14.9%
    4. 5 – 6
      1. 18 – 24 = 14.7%
      2. 25 – 34 = 16.9%
      3. 35 – 44 = 13.9%
      4. 45 – 54 = 14.5%
      5. >54 = 15.7%
    5. 7 or more
      1. 18 – 24 = 27.3%
      2. 25 – 34 = 20.0%
      3. 35 – 44 = 25.8%
      4. 45 – 54 = 30.3%
      5. >54 = 30.2%
  5. Are you concerned that someone might be able to remotely hack into your vehicle?
    1. Yes
      1. 18 – 24 = 65.8%
      2. 25 – 34 = 66.4%
      3. 35 – 44 = 67.7%
      4. 45 – 54 = 61.5%
      5. >54 = 54.5%
    2. No
      1. 18 – 24 = 34.2%
      2. 25 – 34 = 33.7%
      3. 35 – 44 = 32.3%
      4. 45 – 54 = 38.5%
      5. >54 = 45.5%
  6. If someone did remotely hack into your vehicle, which of the following are you concerned they could do? (Select all that apply)
    1. Steal possessions in the car
      1. 18 – 24 = 44.2%
      2. 25 – 34 = 47.1%
      3. 35 – 44 = 46.4%
      4. 45 – 54 = 44.3%
      5. >54 = 41.3%
    2. Steal the car
      1. 18 – 24 = 55.8%
      2. 25 – 34 = 60.0%
      3. 35 – 44 = 59.3%
      4. 45 – 54 = 63.4%
      5. >54 = 63.0%
    3. Steal/access your personal data
      1. 18 – 24 = 52.0%
      2. 25 – 34 = 58.6%
      3. 35 – 44 = 56.9%
      4. 45 – 54 = 49.8%
      5. >54 = 50.2%
    4. Track your location
      1. 18 – 24 = 50.7%
      2. 25 – 34 = 57.7%
      3. 35 – 44 = 52.6%
      4. 45 – 54 = 52.5%
      5. >54 = 48.9%
    5. Interfere with driving capabilities (i.e adjust gear controls and speed levels)
      1. 18 – 24 = 49.8%
      2. 25 – 34 = 52.2%
      3. 35 – 44 = 51.9%
      4. 45 – 54 = 52.5%
      5. >54 = 55.7%
  7. How much would you pay for proactive security features that would prevent a new car from being hacked?
    1. $0
      1. 18 – 24 = 12.1%
      2. 25 – 34 = 13.9%
      3. 35 – 44 = 16.2%
      4. 45 – 54 = 15.8%
      5. >54 = 26.4%
    2. $1 – $250
      1. 18 – 24 = 20.8%
      2. 25 – 34 = 23.5%
      3. 35 – 44 = 23.1%
      4. 45 – 54 = 25.3%
      5. >54 = 28.5%
    3. $251 – $1,000
      1. 18 – 24 = 28.6%
      2. 25 – 34 = 31.3%
      3. 35 – 44 = 28.4%
      4. 45 – 54 = 32.6%
      5. >54 = 26.0%
    4. $1,001 – $2,500
      1. 18 – 24 = 19.5%
      2. 25 – 34 = 17.9%
      3. 35 – 44 = 18.6%
      4. 45 – 54 = 13.1%
      5. >54 = 12.8%
    5. More than $2,500
      1. 18 – 24 = 19.1%
      2. 25 – 34 = 13.4%
      3. 35 – 44 = 13.7%
      4. 45 – 54 = 13.1%
      5. >54 = 6.4%

GENDER SPLIT

  1. Are you aware that some vehicles can be serviced and improved remotely through “over-the-air” software updates, similar to a smartphone or tablet, instead of requiring a trip to the dealership?
    1. Yes
      1. Men = 68.7%
      2. Women = 51.8%
    2. No
      1. Men = 31.3%
      2. Women = 48.2%
  2. How much more would you pay upfront for a vehicle if 95% of its required software maintenance and problem resolutions could be done remotely, over-the-air, without requiring a trip to the dealership?
    1. $0 (included in base price of vehicle)
      1. Men = 12.8%
      2. Women = 21.3%
    2. $1 – $250
      1. Men = 18.7%
      2. Women = 23.6%
    3. $251 – $1,000
      1. Men = 28.8%
      2. Women = 26.2%
    4. $1,001 – $2,500
      1. Men = 22.8%
      2. Women = 16.2%
    5. More than $2,500
      1. Men = 16.9%
      2. Women = 12.8%
  3. If each over-the-air software update required that your car be turned off and remain inoperable for 30 minutes, how many updates would you be willing to make each week?
    1. 0
      1. Men = 10%
      2. Women = 10.7%
    2. 1-2
      1. Men = 34.2%
      2. Women = 41.2%
    3. 3-4
      1. Men = 26.3%
      2. Women = 22%
    4. 5-6
      1. Men = 14.3%
      2. Women = 12.5%
    5. 7 or more
      1. Men = 15.2%
      2. Women = 13.6%
  4. If each over-the-air software update required that your car be turned off and remain inoperable for 30 seconds, how many updates would you be willing to make each week?
    1. 0
      1. Men = 9.7%
      2. Women = 10.2%
    2. 1-2
      1. Men = 24%
      2. Women = 27.5%
    3. 3-4
      1. Men = 25.9%
      2. Women = 20.9%
    4. 5-6
      1. Men = 16.1%
      2. Women = 14.2%
    5. 7 or more
      1. Men = 24.3%
      2. Women = 27.3%
  5. Are you concerned that someone might be able to remotely hack into your vehicle?
    1. Yes
      1. Men = 66.4%
      2. Women = 61.9%
    2. No
      1. Men = 33.6%
      2. Women = 38%
  6. If someone did remotely hack into your vehicle, which of the following are you concerned they could do? (Select all that apply)
    1. Steal possessions in the car
      1. Men = 47.4%
      2. Women = 42.9%
    2. Steal the car
      1. Men = 57.4%
      2. Women = 63%
    3. Steal/access your personal data
      1. Men = 53.5%
      2. Women = 55.9%
    4. Track your location
      1. Men = 52.9%
      2. Women = 53.3%
    5. Interfere with driving capabilities (i.e adjust gear controls and speed levels)
      1. Men = 53%
      2. Women = 51.6%
  7. How much would you pay for proactive security features that would prevent a new car from being hacked?
    1. $0 (included in base price of vehicle)
      1. Men = 14.5%
      2. Women = 18.5%
    2. $1 – $250
      1. Men = 22.3%
      2. Women = 25.8%
    3. $251 – $1,000
      1. Men = 29.5%
      2. Women = 29.3%
    4. $1,001 – $2,500
      1. Men = 18.7%
      2. Women = 15%
    5. More than $2,500
      1. Men = 15%
      2. Women = 11.3%

Methodology: Survey of 1600 U.S. adults from March 17 to March 23, 2022, conducted via Pollfish.

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Sonatus and the software-defined vehicle

The collaborative union between the automotive and tech industries is booming. Our digital world is not only rapidly changing how we do business and interact with partners and customers, but it is also re-defining what an automobile needs to be. Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) present an opportunity for these two industries to come together and collaborate for the future, but despite prevailing knowledge of connected mobility, the core definition of the SDV remains undefined. Software-defined technologies rose out of the data center space, and the Sonatus teams’ long term and diverse experience, having built a lot of this technology, helps to inform our holistic perspective on the SDV.

Software-defined vehicles are defined by having a dynamic infrastructure that allows automakers to embrace data-driven innovation by enabling them to monitor, analyze, control, and automate them in real-time. This is key to realizing the promises of SDVs, from reduced product recalls to enabling new business models, to features and functionality that evolve over a vehicle’s lifetime. We have a powerful narrative to add to the industry’s story here at Sonatus, and it’s time for us to share.

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Auto Tech Week 2021 brought together industry leaders and pioneers in the automotive tech space to discuss the transformation and disruption shaping the industry today. Luca De Ambroggi, Senior Principal Analyst of the Automotive Electronics Ecosystem with Wards Intelligence, sat down with Sonatus CEO, Jeff Chou, in the first Software-Defined Vehicle track at Auto Tech Week to delve deeper into the importance of unlocking the dynamic potential of software-defined vehicles.

The two had an insightful conversation, discussing everything from the foundation of a software-defined vehicle, to the battles of OTA updates, to codependencies between hardware and software, and the shifts in community alliances as the mobility industry pivots to a new era of technological innovation. In case you were not able to stream or attend the panel in person, here are the highlights from Jeff and Luca during their session on “Architecting Software-Defined Vehicles to Unlock Their Full Dynamic Potential.”

STEPPING BACK: THE SOFTWARE-DEFINED VEHICLE AND ITS ORIGIN

“What is a software-defined vehicle?” – Luca

“SDVs are more than just OTA software updates or products running hundreds of millions of lines of code.” – Jeff

With software-defined vehicles quickly becoming the buzz of the automotive industry, individuals are hiring more resources to develop software-integrated products powered by hundreds of millions of lines of code. Some believe that the software will define the hardware architecture of the vehicle, while others base their idea of software-defined in OTA updates. All of these definitions are valid to some extent, but we believe we can be more precise and ambitious with the core definition of software-defined vehicles.

The term software-defined rose out of the data center in the early 2000s. It is a different product in a different industry, but the forces that drove this innovation are the same in automotive.

“I need to go faster, and it needs to be done cheaper.” – Jeff 

These forces are in both the data center and automotive, and they are growing in necessity. But now, companies are realizing that data should not simply get faster, it needs to be in real-time. It’s crucial for businesses to invest in real-time data analytics and updates in order to remove human error and lagging reactivity.  By doing so , they can help to combat one of the biggest relevant challenges as the world transitions to a digital framework.

TRANSFORMING DATA ANALYTICS TO REAL-TIME INNOVATION

In order to maximize real-time analytics, we must take into consideration the four key stages of successful in-vehicle software. Firstly, the device has to be visible, meaning there must be seamless methods to collect data from its sources. After collecting the data, companies must be able to critically analyze key takeaways, allowing them to learn from what they are monitoring, and what the driver and vehicle experiences. Without this insight, it’s difficult to derive areas for improvement, and the model becomes outdated and potentially dangerous to passengers inside and outside of the vehicle. Next, businesses must take action; Real-time analytics empower automakers and tech innovators to make instantaneous decisions such as adding a new feature to the vehicle to fix a bug or enhance the driving experience.  And lastly, businesses come full circle to automating these responses to help improve the software and drive the feedback loop of successful in-vehicle software integrations.

This has nothing to do with autonomous driving, but rather automated data collection systems, which help reduce the time it takes to make adjustments and remove lagging human intervention. For example, your home can be automated, but it is not autonomous. A software-defined infrastructure in the cloud is automated, but not autonomous. Autonomous vehicles just focus on one element, driving. Software-defined vehicles interact with automation in areas like recall prevention, security analysis and data protection, as well as new features with a push of a button without needing to introduce new software via OTA updates.

OTA is a small piece of the puzzle, one of the four components highlighted above. It does not have the capability to monitor, collect, or analyze data. Additionally, there is no automation since human intervention is required to push these software updates over-the-air. It is a great first step, but it is like rebooting your laptop. This has been here for the last 20 years, it is not a software-defined laptop. Our perspective is that a software-defined vehicle is something you can monitor, analyze, control, and automate in real-time without human intervention.

FROM HARDWARE-DEFINED TO SOFTWARE-DEFINED:

“How do you see the need for an infrastructure for storage, data, and software? And do you think the software-defined vehicle will have a dependency on hardware?” – Luca

“Software and hardware architectures should be decoupled.” – Jeff

It all starts with infrastructure; infrastructure is the foundation of your house, and In the data center world, “the network is the computer.” This means everything is based on communication, protocols, services, how functions talk to one another and how data is moved from one place to another. Once you have this foundation, it is everywhere, and you can build the services on top of this flexible vehicle software architecture. OEMs need to put effective infrastructure in place in order to activate the effectiveness of highly concentrated real-time analytics.

Everyone is looking at next generation hardware architectures. Hardware specialists take a strategic approach and divide the vehicle into zones – but a software-defined vehicle cannot be broken down to wires, but rather actuators. The software infrastructure that sits on top of these hardware systems should be orthogonal. There is a physical plane that represents zones, ECUs, and functional controls. Then there is a control plane, which is synonymous to a government or laws of the road. The roadmap for hardware innovation is long with lots of opportunities, and so is software, and these entities should be decoupled to best maximize their individual advancements.

TAKE A PAGE FROM HISTORY: DISRUPTION AND FRICTION

“Is there a common vision and API in this industry? Or is there friction?” – Luca

“Whenever you have industry disruption, there will be friction because every partner and OEM wants to build it themselves.” – Jeff

As the technology and its industry matures, and you have solutions proven to work, then things will bleed into standards and open service-oriented architecture over time. Standards need more movement, and time to develop to a point where they flourish. At the end of the day, software will be standardized in the industry and will level off to standardization, as we have seen in prior moments in the industry.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

There are many alliances and companies forming factions across the industry looking to define new standards and solutions. These will come together because of economics and time to market, and to be able to leverage best practices and holistic learning. This process will take many years, but it will prove to be beneficial for technological advancements and the industry as a whole because once you start settling on a few standards, then you can leverage new innovations instead of reinventing the wheel.

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