The German car company is currently running a trial run of the radio update with company cars.
After initial teething problems, Volkswagen wants to keep the software of its e-cars regularly up to date via the Internet. “All ID.3 and ID.4 that roll off the production line from now on will already be capable of over-the-air updates,” said VW boss Ralf Brandstätter on LinkedIn on Wednesday. The system is currently being tested on the company cars of Group employees.
The latest software version should then be installed on the customer vehicles in the summer. In the future, car owners can use such updates to extend the range of their batteries or to book certain services for an additional charge.
The updates are intended to ensure that the software is kept up to date with the status of a new car. “That also means that our ID.Models keep getting better over their lifecycle,” said Brandstätter.
Volkswagen had to postpone the start of its first completely newly developed ID.3 electric model last year due to software problems. The first vehicles did not have all functions on board either. The heads-up display, for example, via which certain displays are projected into the windshield, only got later versions.
Software updates via the Internet (over the air) are a decisive competitive factor because they eliminate the need for workshop visits. The US electric car manufacturer Tesla has been offering this for a long time. The Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, which belongs to the Chinese Geely Group, also wants to offer such software updates.
