Like Tesla, Volkswagen offers OTA (Over the Air) or remote if you prefer updates on its latest electric vehicles. Problem, the manufacturer must recall 200,000 cars to prepare them for the transition to version 3.0 of the software.
Like what manufacturers of smartphones or video game consoles offer, more and more car manufacturers are adopting this method to remotely update the software part of their vehicles. Tesla is of course the pioneer in this field, with these updates that add new features and boost the performance of certain models.
In March 2021, Volkswagen announced that it would also offer OTA updates on its ID.3 and ID.4, its latest electric cars. A way for the manufacturer to ensure that all “ID models. are at the same software level as new cars throughout their lifetime”. On the other hand, this method will allow the German firm to quickly correct the many software bugs reported by owners of ID.3 and ID.4.
In this regard, the company recently announced the imminent deployment of version 3.0 of the ID.3 and ID.4 software. This version is supposed to solve a large number of bugs integrated in previous versions, while obviously offering several improvements such as an increase in battery charging power, improved thermal management or even activation of Park Assist Plus.
Read also: Volkswagen attacks Tesla and announces the arrival of autonomous driving on all its vehicles
An OTA update that requires… a visit to the garage
However, our colleagues from the German specialized site Auto Motor und Sport report that all ID.3 and ID.4 in circulation (i.e. 200,000 vehicles) will have to go to concession to prepare them for the arrival of this new version. A situation that makes you smile, the very principle of an OTA update being precisely to avoid the driver having to go to the garage… According to the manufacturer’s statements, the objective of this visit is tostandardize the software status of the existing fleet as much as possible.
“We have noticed that there are currently still a lot of vehicles on the road with very different software statuses”, explains the builder. However, this move to concession is necessary for another reason. Indeed, Volkswagen also has install a new 12-volt battery free of charge on all affected vehicles.
This battery will be visibly more resistant to charging cycles and will better meet the high energy needs of the brand’s latest electric cars. In fact, and if we have fun reading between the lines, we understand that the original 12V battery would not have been able to support the new features which will be made via the OTA 3.0 software update.
Source : CleanTechnica
