When the industry advances at such a pace, with more and more cars offering over-the-air updates, Volkswagen finally takes a step towards this technology.
Beginning this summer, the company will deliver software upgrades “over-the-air” to vehicles in its ID. family on a regular basis. Volkswagen is the first and only high-volume manufacturer to make this revolutionary technology widely available to its customers.
The first update for the all-electric ID. models includes numerous functional improvements, such as enhanced ID. Light functionalities, optimized surroundings recognition and dynamic main beam control, improved operability and design changes for the infotainment system, and performance and stability improvements.
The software upgrades are provided through mobile data transmission to the ID models’ central high-performance processors (In Car Application Server, ICAS for short). In the case of cars based on the current MEB platform, these functions were previously spread over many of the control units in prior vehicle generations. The new electronics architecture is not only more powerful and smarter, but it also streamlines data and function interchange across car systems. This enables the Over-the-Air Updates to reach and update up to 35 control devices.
The Volkswagen brand is creating the groundwork for new business models via Over-the-Air Updates of software, as outlined in the ACCELERATE strategy. Customers will no longer have to decide on functions for their car when acquiring it – or which configuration would result in a greater resale value.
This is due to the fact that the hardware will be highly standardized. Additional functionalities and new technologies can be introduced later via software updates in the future.
Source: Volkswagen
