Remember the days when vehicles were built and their various technological features and equipment stayed the same throughout the entire life of the vehicle? Well, those days are slowly, or perhaps rapidly, coming to an end. Indeed, the future of the automobile will more closely resemble that of a computer or smartphone – with updates being delivered over the air (wirelessly) to modernize the vehicle’s software and potentially even enhance its performance. The upcoming Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossover will be able to do just that.
To better compete in the nascent but rapidly-growing EV market, the Ford Mustang Mach-E will receive updates from Ford, wirelessly, as they become available. The delivery method is called “Over The Air’ or OTA, for short. Today, only a select few vehicles are capable of this feat, with the overwhelming majority necessitating a trip to the dealer to receive an update via the OBD port.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E will download the secure updates from The Blue Oval in the background, with smaller updates sometimes capable of being completed in under two minutes. More complex updates that might take longer may require the vehicle to be parked in order to be delivered.
Note that this doesn’t just apply to Sync updates, either. Ford will be able to wireless update nearly all Mustang Mach-E modules, meaning Ford can provide performance enhancements and entirely new features that might not even exist when customers first take delivery of their vehicles.
These updates will be very unobtrusive as well. Owners will be able to schedule some of them for the middle of the night, or a time when they won’t be using the vehicle. Many updates will be completed nearly instantly after the owner starts their Ford Mustang Mach-E, with in-vehicle alerts telling owners about the improvements that have been applied.
“The beauty of the Mustang Mach-E is that what our customers experience on day one is just the beginning – it will evolve to add even more features and capabilities over time,” said John Vangelov, connected services manager, Ford Motor Company. “Our clever over-the-air updates also minimize downtime through incredibly fast activation and ensure your Ford Mustang Mach-E is always getting better, even when you’re asleep.”
Ford expects to have the first batch of over-the-air updates available roughly six months after the Mach-E’s launch. Owners will receive notifications when the updates are ready to be installed, and can choose to download the updates via Wi-Fi or cellular connections.
This is obviously great news for Ford Mustang Mach-E fans, but the automaker also revealed that it’s equipping most of its redesigned models with over-the-air update capability beginning with the 2020 model year. Continuous improvements are certainly music to our ears, as are fewer trips to the dealership and less time spent sitting around waiting for our cars to update.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the Mach-E’s future over-the-air updates, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for more Mustang Mach-E news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.
Comments
OTA updates are vulnerable to hacking, as some one did to a Tesla vehicle some time ago. I download my Sync update to a SD card, and let the car do the actual update while I eat dinner at home. It may be more manual, but it is much safer and I have total control. BTW, how does Ford get the update to the Mach-E if the customer has no cellular service? I have Wi-Fi at home but I have a DSL line directly to my provider.
Do we know tgr trim levels and starting prices for the new F150?