Ford's Adding Over-the-air Updates, Bigger Screens, More Connectivity
The days of owning an automobile that’s not perpetually connected to various digital networks are quickly coming to a close. On Wednesday, Ford announced most of its redesigned vehicles in the U.S. with have over-the-air update capability after 2020. The automaker is framing this as a way to “repair” your vehicle at home and offer new features after a model has already been purchased.
“Nobody wants to feel like they’re missing out on great features right after spending their hard-earned money on a new vehicle — that’s where our over-the-air updates can help,” said Don Butler, executive director of Ford’s connected services. “We can now help improve your vehicle’s capability, quality and overall driving experience while you’re sleeping.”
While the prospects of giving auto manufacturers remote access to your car are vast, it’s also a double-edged sword. Over-the-air updates would undoubtedly save you a trip to the service center in the event of a code-based recall but it also opens vehicle’s up to privacy concerns and gives automakers new avenues for business.
Those new features will be locked behind a paywall — which is fine until you’ve heard some of the ways automakers are considering handling this. Several companies have discussed the possibility of simply building cars with items installed that have to be unlocked via the center console. That means more standard content on base models … but non-base features will be sold off piecemeal through the internet, despite already being equipped inside the car.
BMW really started scaring us after showing how willing it was to incorporate this practice with lofty subscription fees for Apple CarPlay — rather than simply providing it as standard equipment. Other automakers are examining similar ways to leverage connectivity. Some of them are even trying to implement gaming aspects onto their user interfaces to try and keep customers more engaged with their connectivity services. There’s a real potential for manufacturers to enact some grimy business practices here while likewise offering some neat new features.
Let’s also not forget that data acquisition is becoming increasingly important to automakers and connectivity gives them a direct, always-on pipeline to yours. We can’t say that’s why Blue Oval sunk millions into building new data centers, but managing and selling your information seems a likely prospect. If so, most will probably have no idea its happening.
From Ford:
Some updates will be virtually invisible to customers, enabled by an innovative platform that installs much of the new software in the background. This new platform keeps current software running until the new version is ready for activation — something that no other vehicle, or even some popular smartphones, can do today.
“Computer updates that require reboots seem to come at the most inconvenient times, which is why we wanted to make our updates as invisible to customers as possible,” says Butler.
As unsettling as invisible updates sound, Ford said there will be a way to track them. It plans on issuing software update details as they become available and notifications after they’ve been installed. Customers will also be able to schedule larger updates at times when the vehicle will be sitting idle or have the car automatically install whatever is next.
This is all coming via Sync 4, which Automotive News reported will also incorporate some new hardware. An 8-inch touch screen will be standard, but customers can upgrade to a 12 or 15.5-inch screen if they’d like. While we feel that a robust and easy-to-use UX always trump screen size, having larger options is a smart move. While undoubtedly more distracting, big screens are the kind of thing that customers will splurge on — and the biggest from Ford offers more features, like a toolbar at the bottom that keeps your favorite apps at the ready.
Fortunately, Sync 4 is also designed to minimize driver distractions by having improved voice recognition and a slicker visual interface. “With this new fourth-generation technology, we’ve evolved Sync into an intelligent, voice activated, in-vehicle digital assistant,” Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s product development chief, explained.
Ford expects the first over-the-air updates to take place several months after Sync 4 debuts. Those will reportedly focus on convenience, entertainment, quality and new features ($$$). While the automaker discussed the possibility of remote repairs using over-the-air updates extensively, Automotive News claimed there was no official plan in place to use the system to address recalls. We imagine that’ll be subject to change once there’s a situation that calls for it.
[Image: Ford]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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"Several companies have discussed the possibility of simply building cars with items installed that have to be unlocked via the center console." Basically they're going to make base model cars into "cripple ware" like Tesla. I don't like that approach, you're essentially removing control from the customers own procession (and this isnt a videogame where they can say that its licensed or whatever, its a car). I dont hate having more computers in a car, what matters is what said computers do and their programming quality (which is often poor these days).
@28-cars-later and ajla- I agree with you both. My point is basically just a counter to 'everything is getting worse and all the new cars are going to be disasters because they're too damn complicated'. There's just no evidence that is true. My 'evidence' is simply to point out that as cars have steadily gotten more and more complex, there's nothing showing that they are living shorter lives on average. I'd also point out that while cars on the road are getting older on average, the average commute time is growing as well with 2018 being the highest ever. So, you it would appear that the average car is older than ever and the engine is running for more time than ever(or they are using start/stop technology which is also supposed to have lead to untimely engine deaths). It's enough infomation to conclude that if you had a lot of cars dying at less than 100k miles- theyd likely be less than 7 years old which would pull that average down. All the while- oil change intervals have gone from 5k miles to 10k miles. Spark plugs now go 100k. Belts have gone from 50-60k to 100k. You should do transmission flushes at