Jim Farley interview with The Verge has some interesting Mach E nuggets

[timbop]

Question: What is meant by the below?

"Android based Sync will not be backwards compatible with cars shipping with Sync4A"

Does this mean that Android based sync will not run on the hardware currently being shipped on cars that are on the road today?

Or does this mean that the Android based sync will not be compatible with previous sync 4A apps?

It means our cars will not get the android-based infotainment system when it starts shipping in new cars a couple of years from now. Whether or not sync4a will continue to get meaningful updates after that is unclear, but I wouldn't expect anything more than serious bug fixes beyond 2024 or 2025.

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[4sallypat]

......
At least the man at the top knows they've gotta get better in this regard. Other things that caught my eye:

1. They expect to run out of tax credits late this year/early next. Heavy lobbying to up the bar.
2. Android based Sync will not be backwards compatible with cars shipping with Sync4A
3. Battery capacity is the main limiter to 150k production rate for Lightning.
4. They're prioritizing chips for EVs over other cars in their lineup.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/26/23042056/the-f-150-lightning-is-finally-shipping-is-ford-ready

This is what I feared - the tax credits will start decreasing 50% or more sooner than later.
Thought the Sync4A is standard with the new F150 Lightning ?
150K production will be great to catch up with all the reservations Ford has.
Good to hear chips being prioritized for EV because my wife's MME on order and my '22 Lightning order being made this year will be a stunner!

 

[Logal727]

Thank god they’ve got Doug Field on the case. Very excited about this UX refresh!

 

[Mathington]

Thank god they’ve got Doug Field on the case. Very excited about this UX refresh!

I just hope it's an improvement over what we have. I actually like the current interface, I would just like some slight performance improvements. Very curious to see how Ford will be changing things with this new update though!

I'm quite sad to hear that our current Sync 4A cars are not compatible with the upcoming Android based OS, I thought the hardware would have been powerful enough, but I guess not.

Hopefully they will continue Sync 4A improvements for the next 3-5 years. I would hope so given that they are using it in the Lightning which is just being released.

 

[xinlitik]

Big bummer about Sync compatibility
i dont have high hopes of updates for old sync software based on Fords track record. My 2012 mustang got an update in 2015 that broke Siri and there hasnt been an update since then.

 

[Logal727]

I just hope it's an improvement over what we have. I actually like the current interface, I would just like some slight performance improvements. Very curious to see how Ford will be changing things with this new update though!

I'm quite sad to hear that our current Sync 4A cars are not compatible with the upcoming Android based OS, I thought the hardware would have been powerful enough, but I guess not.

Hopefully they will continue Sync 4A improvements for the next 3-5 years. I would hope so given that they are using it in the Lightning which is just being released.

Yeah I wasn’t expecting to get the Android refresh, my plan was to keep this for 3 or 4 years and then trade up to newest model, so it works out. I feel like Field is fixing the performance of existing system first and that’s most likely where the UI/UX refresh is gonna target

 

[ElectrifyCLT]

I just hope it's an improvement over what we have. I actually like the current interface, I would just like some slight performance improvements. Very curious to see how Ford will be changing things with this new update though!

I'm quite sad to hear that our current Sync 4A cars are not compatible with the upcoming Android based OS, I thought the hardware would have been powerful enough, but I guess not.

Hopefully they will continue Sync 4A improvements for the next 3-5 years. I would hope so given that they are using it in the Lightning which is just being released.

My take is Sync4A developments aren't going anywhere. Android system is delayed, who knows why. Could be hardware related, could genuinely just be software. Regardless, that means 4A will have to carry the torch for the next several years. My guess is a mid-cycle refresh will introduce Android in ~3 years on MachE/Lightning.

 

[Mathington]

@ElectrifyCLT Wow, according to the article, the new Android infotainment is scheduled to be out next year. This is much sooner than I expected and a real shame that early customers who supported Ford's transition to EVs are getting shafted again.

" Current Ford vehicles will not be upgradable to the new Android-based Sync — which means these first Lightnings off the line will have Ford’s existing Sync 4 system, while 2023 Lightnings that ship next year will have the new Android-based Sync, a potential silver lining for impatient preorder buyers. "

 

[Chuck]

I read that the official Lightning launch is today. It would be informative to know how many Mach-E owners have reservations for the Lightning.

Not me. I've never had any interest in owning a truck. The only pickup trucks around here have two lawn mowers and an edge trimmer in the back.

 

[ElectrifyCLT]

@ElectrifyCLT Wow, according to the article, the new Android infotainment is scheduled to be out next year. This is much sooner than I expected and a real shame that early customers who supported Ford's transition to EVs are getting shafted again.

" Current Ford vehicles will not be upgradable to the new Android-based Sync — which means these first Lightnings off the line will have Ford’s existing Sync 4 system, while 2023 Lightnings that ship next year will have the new Android-based Sync, a potential silver lining for impatient preorder buyers. "

I'm firmly in camp "believe it when I see it". Even Nilay's tweet implies it's delayed further. And just because it goes out in 2023 doesn't necessarily mean at the beginning of 2023 production.

 

[Mathington]

Shipping the new F150 Lightning to customers who will not be able to get updates next year is a really dirty move by Ford and a huge punch in the face to their customers.

This is the kind of move that I liken to Android vs iOS for software updates to phones. Android phones are basically disposable as they only get updates for 1-2 years at most and then become super slow and unusable, while Apple updates phones that are 5+ years old with the newest software.

This commitment to supporting past and existing customers is what makes Apple as successful as they are. When it comes to cars and software updates, I see Tesla as Apple and Ford is looking more like the cheap Android phone you buy for $200 from BestBuy that is outdated as soon as you buy it.

I really hope that Ford will continue to support the Mach-E and Lightning for several years to come by releasing updates that improve the user experience.

 

[Mathington]

I'm firmly in camp "believe it when I see it". Even Nilay's tweet implies it's delayed further. And just because it goes out in 2023 doesn't necessarily mean at the beginning of 2023 production.

Yes, that's very possible. Perhaps they originally intended the lightning to use the Android Automotive interface? Maybe the 2023 models will be Sync 4A but the 2024 that are out late next year will be Android based.

 

[ElectrifyCLT]

Shipping the new F150 Lightning to customers who will not be able to get updates next year is a really dirty move by Ford and a huge punch in the face to their customers.

That's not what they said. New models will get Android starting in 2023. Prior cars will still get updates, they'll just be on Sync4A updates. There are no statements about updates for Sync4A once Android version is released.

But I think it's fair to presume that once the transition is complete, it's unlikely that significant new functionality will be introduced to 4A 3-5 years down the road.

 

[connoisseurr]

I do wonder how different the infotainment architecture will be... There could be a condition where an owner could purchase the newer hardware for retrofit.

 

[Mathington]

That's not what they said. New models will get Android starting in 2023. Prior cars will still get updates, they'll just be on Sync4A updates. There are no statements about updates for Sync4A once Android version is released.

But I think it's fair to presume that once the transition is complete, it's unlikely that significant new functionality will be introduced to 4A 3-5 years down the road.

It's true that they didn't make comments about not providing updates to 4A based lightning in the future. I highly doubt it will happen once they have ramped production of Android based Lightning in 2023/2024 given the small number of Lightning they sold with Sync 4A.

The number of Mach-E sold may give Ford a reason to support Sync 4A for a little while though.

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