Over the Air Software Updates coming to GM Vehicles

General Motors (GM) CEO Mary Barra announced the company plans to introduce a new infotainment system that will accept over-the-air (OTA) updates. The enhancement will complement a new architecture for the electric vehicle line.

While GM has already been utilizing OTA updates to its OnStar service, this is the first time the company has applied this type of update to mechanical software and infotainment. The move will help GM vehicles catch up with competitors like Tesla.

Barra said the new electrical architecture is a large project that was created to support the next generation of in-vehicle infotainment systems. The upgrade was necessary to keep GM in line with other automakers. Vijay Iyer, who is a spokesman for GM, said the company is also exploring other opportunities to allow customers to update their vehicles after purchase.

One model, the Chevrolet Bolt, has an infotainment system that can accept OTA updates, but Iyer said the company is not using the technology beyond the OnStar service. He added via email that the architecture enhancement introduced by Barra is a separate project from Globetouch, Inc., which supports the connectivity for the OTA updates. He also said that Globetouch is working with both the car company and Verizon Telematics to integrate OnStar with a new control platform.

Since Tesla added OTA updates to its Model S five years ago, other car companies are trying to catch up and use the technology. Recently, Ford announced that it would be adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to models equipped with Sync 3, which allows for OTA updating.

OTA updates are considered to be the wave of the future that allow automakers to receive data in real time while remotely keeping systems up to date. The result of this could be a large shift in the relationship between car companies, their dealerships and the drivers who buy their cars.

It is thought that by 2022, about 160 million vehicles will be able to utilize OTA updates. In addition, the OTA technology could reduce the need for drivers to visit dealerships to repair problems cause by software. Patches could be applied wirelessly at home.

To help with the transition to full OTA updates, GM hired A. Charles Thomas to be Chief Data Officer. Barra announced Thomas’s appointment while speaking about the value of data analytics for both the company and the people who purchase its vehicles. She said GM is already seeing some monetization results through the OnStar service, and the company is currently developing opportunities for business-to-business. She declined to provide details on the latter.

Thomas will oversee the management of customer, business and corporate data. He previously served as a data officer at Wells Fargo Bank.