Electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc on Friday announced it is rolling out a software upgrade over-the-air to its current Model S owners, a unique ability that other automakers are expected to offer within a few years.<\/p>\n
Tesla, based in Silicon Valley, has completed more than a dozen over-the-air software upgrades since the Model S was first sold in mid-2012, said Egil Juliussen, director of research for automotive electronic technology for IHS Automotive.<\/p>\n
Juliussen said other automakers have completed some over-the-air software upgrades but only on an experimental basis.<\/p>\n
Normally, when an automaker wants to upgrade software in on-board computers in cars that are already on the road, owners must bring vehicles to dealerships.<\/p>\n
Tesla is able to upgrade software remotely, similar to software updates on smartphones.<\/p>\n
About 30,000 vehicles have been updated over the air this year, almost all by Tesla. By 2020, a full one-fifth, or about 22 million new vehicles globally, will have the ability to accept software upgrades over-the-air, said Juliussen.<\/p>\n
Juliussen said by 2015, over-the-air software upgrades to cars already in consumer hands will expand to 230,000 and reach 1 million in 2016.<\/p>\n
“The cost savings alone will make it very attractive for the auto manufacturers to use over-the-air software upgrades,” said Juliussen.<\/p>\n
Automakers are expected, he said, to team up with software developers for over-the-air communication with the vehicles they have sold.<\/p>\n
Three privately held software firms are in the lead in this venture, he said. They are Red Bend Software, based in Waltham, Massachusetts; Symphony Teleca Corp based in Silicon Valley; and Arynga, based in San Diego.<\/p>\n
He said that it can cost $400 to $500 every time an owner brings a car into a dealership for a software upgrade. Doing so remotely will cut those costs dramatically, and dealers will not have to purchase as much equipment, Juliussen said.<\/p>\n
For the current upgrade, Tesla Model S owners will be notified of the availability of it and will be asked to select a time for it to be downloaded, which takes several hours, Tesla spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson said.<\/p>\n
Tesla, which connects to its cars through a 3G network of AT&T Inc, is calling the latest upgrade announced on Friday “Software v6.0.” Tesla is rolling out the upgrades in North America and Europe now, and within a few weeks will be performing them for owners in its other markets, China, Hong Kong and Japan.<\/p>\n
Among the new features being added in the current upgrade to the Model S are traffic-based navigation and commuting advice and remote starting by using a mobile phone.<\/p>\n
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