There has never been a digital revolution in the history of the automotive industry. Compared to a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has 14 million lines of code, modern cars can have up to 100 million lines. Because of the complexity of the software, over-the-air (OTA) updates are crucial to maintaining vehicles’ security, functionality, and currentness.
OTA automotive technology represents a fundamental shift in how manufacturers maintain and improve vehicles after they leave the factory floor, moving away from dealership-dependent service visits toward seamless wireless updates that can enhance vehicle functionality throughout its lifetime.
That’s not it, in this blog post, we are going to read this topic in more detail and provide valuable insights to the readers
Let’s begin!
Key Takeaways
- Understanding what OTA updates are
- Uncovering the current state of vehicle software updates
- Exploring some limitations
- Decoding their future outlook
The term “over-the-air updates” describes the wireless distribution of software updates for automobiles, usually accomplished by reprogramming nonvolatile memory chips located within different subsystems. In the past, only approved dealerships were able to use specialized equipment and hard-wired connections to update vehicle software during service appointments. These updates covered everything, including bug fixes, new software versions, and damaged software.
As vehicles became increasingly connected, the industry evolved to enable remote software updates delivered over wireless networks. These updates can arrive through local WiFi connections or cellular networks, bringing the convenience familiar to smartphone users into the automotive world. However, the process is significantly more complex due to safety requirements, regulatory compliance, and the intricate architecture of modern vehicles
Interesting Facts
The global automotive OTA updates market was valued at approximately USD 4.21 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach over USD 15.75 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 21.3%.
Despite growing awareness of connected car technology, many drivers don’t realize how much software their vehicles contain. Conventional vehicles incorporate embedded systems throughout, with software controlling everything from window operation to braking systems and emissions control. Most of this software resides in electronic control units (ECUs) that manage single functions or subsystems.
The complexity of automotive software updates stems from several factors. Many ECUs in typical vehicles perform only one function, and these units are often developed by different subcontractors. This fragmented development environment means implementing updates frequently requires coordination with multiple third-party manufacturers. Additionally, the majority of existing vehicles weren’t originally architected to be easily updatable, unlike modern smartphones with their sophisticated hardware-software abstraction layers.
Currently, most vehicles that support OTA updates focus primarily on in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and navigation systems. These updates might refresh navigation maps or add entertainment features, but they typically occur only once or twice annually and aren’t mandatory. A smaller percentage of vehicles receive updates to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and an even smaller fraction can update other critical systems like powertrain tuning or battery management.
While smartphone users routinely install software updates with minimal effort, vehicle updates face unique challenges. To guarantee that updates don’t jeopardize current safety measures, safety certification requirements require extraordinary caution. Most modern cars have varied architectures with parts from multiple manufacturers and supply chain sources, in contrast to smartphones, which have standardized operating systems and hardware abstraction.
Consumer expectations also differ significantly. Drivers haven’t historically expected regular vehicle updates the way they do for their phones and computers. However, manufacturers can leverage consumers’ familiarity with mobile device updates to build acceptance for automotive OTA technology. The key difference lies in safety criticality—a failed smartphone update is inconvenient, but a failed vehicle update could potentially immobilize the car or compromise safety systems.
Today’s OTA landscape reveals several constraints. Many vehicles still require dealership visits for any software updates. Among vehicles supporting remote updates, most restrict downloads to WiFi networks, requiring drivers to connect manually once or twice yearly. Cellular delivery is reserved for mission-critical updates, while WiFi is needed for larger packages. Even cars with cellular connectivity frequently restrict which updates can be downloaded over LTE networks. Update failures are still a serious problem.
Numerous incidents involving failed updates that rendered vehicles immobile and necessitated towing to dealerships for software resets have occurred in recent years across a variety of manufacturers. Not all cars have fault-tolerance features like A/B partitions, despite the fact that they are available to stop such failures.
The type of vehicle also matters. Electric vehicles can activate all systems without starting an engine, making updates more straightforward. Gasoline and diesel vehicles typically require the engine to be running for most systems to be fully operational, complicating the update process and demanding more active driver involvement.
The transition to software-defined vehicles (SDVs) is revolutionizing OTA requirements. These next-generation vehicles feature more updatable ECUs, faster innovation cycles, and functionality increasingly implemented through software rather than dedicated hardware. Successful SDVs require comprehensive solutions enabling frequent, reliable, and cost-effective updates across all vehicle systems.
Update frequency will increase dramatically as manufacturers bring software development in-house or mandate standards compliance from suppliers. Leading manufacturers already offer significantly more frequent updates than traditional automakers, with most updates providing new features, followed by bug fixes and security patches.
The scope of updates is expanding beyond infotainment systems. ADAS computers already receive regular updates as algorithms improve, but SDVs will enable updates across nearly all vehicle systems—from body and chassis to powertrain, security systems, and electric vehicle battery management. Dynamic network provisioning will allow vehicles to offer services not present at initial sale, functioning more like mobile data centers.
Software diversity introduces additional complexity. Future updates won’t be limited to firmware—they’ll include machine learning models for improved recognition and safety, network configuration updates, and containerized software deployments. This “multi-modal” approach requires sophisticated dependency management.
Flexibility in networks will also change. Future implementations will probably use a combination of approaches, even though the current updates mainly use WiFi to reduce costs. Larger or less important updates continue to be sent via WiFi, but time-sensitive or safety-critical updates might be sent over cellular networks. Careful planning and management are necessary for this dual-track strategy.
As the frequency of updates increases, data size management becomes increasingly important. Delivering complete software payloads over cellular networks is prohibitively expensive due to wireless data transfer costs. Although they require detailed models of the current software, delta updates—which only transmit changes from the current version—can greatly reduce the amount of data needed. Sophisticated compression algorithms, tailored to different data profiles for maximum effectiveness, will further reduce transfer sizes.
Robust failure management will be essential. Industry leaders already employ techniques like A/B partitions to maintain failover images and prevent updates from corrupting vehicle systems. However, these approaches require active management and add complexity to the update process. As update frequency and scope increase, failure prevention and recovery mechanisms will become even more critical.
Software innovation and automotive engineering meet at the nexus of OTA technology. Vehicles are becoming more and more software-defined, making over-the-air updates a necessary feature rather than a convenience.
Future automotive technology will be defined by the shift from sporadic infotainment updates to extensive system-wide enhancements. Success in this space requires balancing technical innovation with safety requirements, consumer expectations, and cost-effectiveness—challenges that will drive automotive software development for years to come.
Ans: It enables ongoing enhancements that raise the quality of the driving experience.
Ans: It means over-the-air technology.
Ans: It has moderate input and output swing ranges that are neither wide nor narrow.
