General Motors is working on a new electric-vehicle architecture and a new generation of in-car infotainment that will offer “over-the-air” (OTA) software updates, Automotive News reports. CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday that a rollout is planned “before 2020.”
Up to this point, GM has only administered OTA updates for its OnStar suite of in-car services, never delivering new infotainment, powertrain, or chassis software to customer cars wirelessly. That’s set to change soon with the launch of new infotainment systems and a new electrical architecture for its vehicles.
“We are in the process of deploying a new electrical architecture, which is a pretty comprehensive undertaking, and that’s well under way… as well as a whole new generation of infotainment systems,” Ms. Barra said in a Tuesday call with analysts. “You’ll see us have [over-the-air-update] capability as we move forward.”
Perhaps the biggest automaker champion of over-the-air software updates is Tesla Motors, which has already sent out several software patches to customer cars through owners’ home wireless networks. Those patches have both expanded functionality and addressed known issues.
General Motors spokesperson Vijay Iyer confirmed to Automotive News that the automaker is “looking at additional opportunities” to “upgrade vehicles post-purchase to create more value to our existing customers.” OTA software updates are an attractive option for car manufacturers as they remove the need for owners to bring their vehicles to a service center for updating, allowing automakers to implement new software more quickly, and making the ownership experience that much more convenient for customers.
Comments
I think the more interesting thing here is the new electric vehicle architecture. I’m excited to see the product portfolio GM is capable of bringing to market with a dedicated EV platform. I’m sure an SUV is the initial focus.
Does this mean that you can update informant software from past cars and trucks that have the mylink system?
no that’s not what it means, read the article.. support is for upcoming vehicles with new electrical and infotainment architecture
I read the article it says updates which mean the car or truck has to be used weather it’s a month old or a year old or 5 years old!
When does the cut off start? Cars that are sold after 2012?
I will believe it when I see it. Seriously, remember they were going to have their own APP store in 2014, and Apple Carplay and Google Auto. The last two eventually happened but that took a few years. They also had an update webpage that lasted maybe six months. GM is so behind the ball on this one.
When you are already late for work and your car won’t start “preparing to install updates, please wait”.
Better late than never!!