Here's how OTA updates will profoundly change the market

Since smartphones have existed, we have gotten used to the idea of ​​receiving software updates directly on the device, without having to perform any special operations other than accepting and installing the update; this very powerful vehicle has also been adopted on the electric car market, with Tesla leading the way in this sense. Over-the-air (OTA) updates can make substantial changes to the software of electric cars, allowing you to go faster, or increase the range on a single charge, or even add driving modes or new functions to make the more comfortable life on board.

However, this tool is also essential when flaws in the software of the cars are identified, defects that can also have serious consequences because they affect the safety of the car: using the system of OTA updates you can go to solve the problem almost instantaneously, without the need to take the car to an authorized workshop.

A perfect example of this possibility is presented to us by Volvo and Polestar - both brands that belong to the Chinese group Geely - which last month discovered a problem in the propulsion system of the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2 models, very sim ili at an engineering level and developed practically together.

Read also: Volvo's green turning point begins: here is the C40 Recharge

The problem arose from one of the microprocessors present inside the control module of the energy stored in the batteries: the processor had a tendency to reset itself for no reason, causing a disconnection from the high voltage power supply system of the batteries. auto, thus creating a stalemate in which the engine no longer receives the necessary energy. Normally a physical intervention on the car would have been necessary, to identify where the problem was occurring in the fuel system, and it would have been necessary to start a long and expensive recall campaign that would have created inconvenience for all Volvo and Polestar customers. involved, but thanks to OTA technology it was possible to release a simple software update that promptly solved the problem for everyone.

A spokesperson for Polestar confirmed that the production and sale of the cars did not stop or stop. delays, and at this point there are only a few handfuls of customers who have not yet accepted the update to declare the recall campaign completed.