Toronto, Ontario — June 25, 2018 — Over-the-air (OTA) vehicle updates could soon save OEMs and drivers both time and money – and keep vehicles out of the collision repair shop.
Last week, Tesla used OTA technology to fix a problem with the braking system on its new Model 3. After discovering the defect, Tesla was able to wirelessly update the braking system without having to recall any of the vehicles.
As the fix was a software-based problem, Tesla’s could simply make use of the vehicle’s wireless technology to connect and update the vehicle’s system. Not all software fixes are so easily performed.
General Motors recently issued a recall order on their 2013 Bolts. While the vehicles only required a software update to fix issues with their batteries, the models cannot be remotely updated. While the idea of over-the-air repairs may be a concern to members of the collision industry, no software update will ever be able to fix damaged hardware.
While today most OEMs are now producing vehicles able to recieve OTA updates, it is anticipated that by 2021, every new vehicle from major manufacturers will be equipped with the ability to recieve remote updates.
