(This article was originally published on Forbes.com)
Imagine a world where cars actually get better after leaving showrooms.
With connected vehicles expected to make up 95% of all cars and trucks on the roads by 2030, that vision isn’t so far-fetched. In fact, with consumers already anticipating receiving up to six feature and functionality over-the-air (OTA) updates by 2025, automakers and suppliers are stepping on the OTA gas.
But they may not be going fast enough.
The truth is that while consumer demand for feature and functionality updates keeps growing, and automakers are increasingly differentiating themselves with OTA updates, the technology itself is in its early stages. Today, only a few leading edge automakers are offering frequent updates and feature changes, but most are infrequent or make only minor updates.
Seizing OTA opportunities
That’s not for a lack of desire or imagination by manufacturing hubs like Detroit, Tokyo, Munich, or Silicon Valley. They know they can differentiate around OTA feature updates and realize consumers are willing to pay more to download certain premium services that might improve their driving experiences. At the same time, they see an opportunity to save an estimated $1.5 billion per year by addressing recalls digitally, enabling drivers to avoid the annoyance of having to take their vehicles to the shop to repair defects (86% of consumers vastly prefer to have updates succeed without service center visits).
Desire and vision is not the problem. The issue with OTA updates is that the technology is in its infancy and fraught with complex challenges. Bandwidth is an obvious one. Moving large packets of code from one place to another, safely and smoothly, involves considerable time and expense. That’s one reason why updates currently only happen a few times a year and contain more fixes than features.
OTA updates are also notoriously difficult for automakers to manage, in large part because so many different software developers are involved in writing programs that control vehicle features like infotainment systems, seats, and environmental systems. In fact, Ford CEO Jim Farley, during an interview on the Fully Charged Podcast last year, complained the software in his company’s vehicles is all written by 150 different companies, so managing software updates can be challenging
All of this tends to add costs and delays to the OTA update process because anytime an automaker wants to upgrade or patch a piece of firmware, software, or component, they have to negotiate with someone to develop a working modification, and that someone will likely charge a hefty fee to do it. By some estimates, automakers are spending between $2 billion and $2.7 billion per year to distribute OTA updates.
Finding answers
Part of the solution is for OEMs to take more control of their electric architecture for upcoming vehicles. And automakers like Tesla seem to be moving in that direction as well. However, insourcing only solves part of the challenge because for OTA updates to be more regular and meaningful, automakers still need to overcome numerous software development and management issues that are hindering deployment.
Fortunately, there are comprehensive OTA management solutions emerging to address these issues:. Sonatus Updater provides an OTA solution designed for the increasingly difficult needs for updates in the SDV era. Updater allows automakers to better manage the increasing variety of vehicle software assets from a single pane of glass with predictability and end-to-end traceability. This means manufacturers get a single solution to conduct updates for all sorts of vehicle software elements as well as electronic control unit (ECU) firmware. Updater also enables them to manage the virtual containers that would be needed to push out large chunks of feature updates as well as network and storage configurations, variant coding, data, and security policy updates.
Because OTA costs and complexity can be unpredictable, Sonatus Updater additionally lets automakers and equipment manufacturers perform proactive dry runs of OTA campaigns to see how they might perform and make important adjustments to streamline processes.
Finally, as the frequency and complexity of vehicle software updates increase, Updater can help automakers and suppliers resolve issues if OTA update campaigns veer off-the-beaten-path by providing fine-grained visibility and tracing capabilities to track individual processes from the cloud to target ECUs.
Read more in our latest eBook “What OTA Update Solutions Must Deliver in the SDV Era” to understand how Updater is purpose-built to handle the rigors of OTA updates as the industry transitions to SDVs.
Down the road
As the automotive industry continues to develop its connected technologies, the adoption of OTA update management solutions will be critical for meeting consumer expectations while ensuring the safety and functionality of connected vehicles. It won’t happen overnight. But by deploying the right strategies and technologies today, the automotive industry can put itself in a pole position to deliver the types of driving experiences that will define brands and bottom lines for decades to come.