Over-the-air updates of computers and smartphones are commonplace and are now catching up to the auto industry with a vengeance.
Ford on Thursday announced it will produce 33 million vehicles by 2028 equipped with its Power-Up software OTA updates, having already sent updates to 100,000 of its 2021 F-150 and Mustang Mach-E customers since late March. The technology is capable of easy updates of 80 vehicle computer modules on the higher end models.
Power-Up software updates will be delivered later this year to properly equipped F-150 and Mustang Mach-E with an added software purchase to enable Ford Co-Pilot360 technology to add BlueCruise hands-free highway driving to its Intelligent Cruise Control. The hands-free service applies to 100,000 miles of selected roads in North America. Ford said in April that BlueCruise underwent 500,000 miles of development testing.
BlueCruise uses camera technology to track a driver’s eyes even with sunglasses on and will prompt the driver to re-take control should the driver’s eyes wander from the road. The testing was conducted on divided highways even in severe weather and with faded highway lines.
The vehicle maker also announced future Power-Up enhancements will include a new, more seamless rollout of the Amazon Alexa Built-in hands-free experience for voice activation of multiple commands. The complimentary connectivity will be wired into 700,000 Ford vehicles in the U.S. and Canada this year, with millions more in the next few years. For example, drivers will be able to ask Alexa, “Where’s the nearest gas station?” and more.
“We’re setting connectivity as a new standard,” said Alex Purdy, head of business operations for Ford Enterprise Connectivity. In some comparisons, Ford is late to the OTA game, behind Tesla and others, but its commitment to enable OTA for 33 million vehicles in coming years and its long track record in American vehicle manufacturing makes its announcement especially noteworthy.
Amazon and Ford will also work together under a new agreement on enhanced features and commercial services for six years, including custom Alexa skills for Ford commercial vehicles. In one example, Ford said delivery drivers could use the technology to ask Alexa with its AI capabilities, “What is the next stop on my route?” Alexa will be delivered first this fall to Bronco, Edge, F-150, Mustang Mach-E and Super Duty customers with SYNC 4 Technology in the U.S. and Canada.
Ford first used Alexa in its vehicles in 2017 and now offers in vehicle-services through the SYNC AppLink smartphone app, which won’t be required with the new more seamless capability. Ned Curic, vice president of Alexa Automotive, told reporters that earlier Alexa versions in vehicles “were decent but not friction free…the technology wasn’t as baked as we’d like it to be.”
With OTA connections to vehicles, Ford said it also has been able to diagnose problems and offer fixes to reduce the cost and time for its fixes compared to a customer bringing a vehicle for work with a dealer. In one example, Ford was able to save $20 million in warranty cost avoidance for an OTA analysis and fix of an F-150 zone lighting issue, said Aziz Makkiya, manager of software updates for Ford Enterprise Connectivity. Ford engineers also plan to address an issue with F-150 and Mustang Mach-E Android Auto connectivity by June.
RELATED: GM to install onboard battery diagnostics on all future EVs to predict fires