Will Bluecruise 1.2 be available via OTA update?

[Mirak]

I didn’t ask about the pros/cons of rolling out OTA software. I asked if anyone knows whether Ford WILL rollout BC 1.2 to MY 22 MMEs. 3 possible answers are “yes”, “no” or “IDK”

Oh but the best answer is always “Soon.” Soon always and forever, baby!

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[Logal727]

I didn’t ask about the pros/cons of rolling out OTA software. I asked if anyone knows whether Ford WILL rollout BC 1.2 to MY 22 MMEs. 3 possible answers are “yes”, “no” or “IDK”

Yes, it's coming, we just don't know when.

 

[mikeinet]

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Ford just starting rolling out 2.4.5 which includes the much requested enhancements to window defogging.

Software is hard. You cannot rush software engineers or expect them to meet deadlines imposed by pointy haired managers. Ford should not release software until it is perfect because, as we know, bugs are totally foreign to Ford. Do you really want cutting edge tech like Tesla? It might have bugs! This is a car, not an iPhone. Do you want to die?!

(I think I covered everything, but let me know if I missed one).

my only question here… is the software already exists. The software deployment mechanism already exists… so what’s left to be done? The procedural order of installation exists for the new MY23’s…so it’s just a matter of figuring out the upgrade steps

 

[mpshizzle]

I'd say the speed at which Ford rolls out updates is not the real issue. The internal corporate bureaucracy is clearly slowing things WAY down. But the bigger issue is a total lack of pr and communication.

I have an early 21 model, that didn't come with blue cruise at all, and it came over a year later than promised initially. And they didn't communicate AT ALL during that process it was always just "soon". No "delays are happening due to x" or "the date of the roll out has been pushed to x"

From my experience here you can count on 2 things.
1) Ford will fulfill on it's promises of rolling out 1.2
2) They will not communicate when the roll out will start. You'll just randomly see people on here start getting it

Even though Ford has SLOW rollouts because of their slow internal processes, I think they'd find their customers would be much happier if they were informed. Setting expectations is a huge part of PR and Ford has yet to do so

 

[SWO]

On the InsideEVs podcast yesterday Tom said he talked to Ford about BC 1.2 rollout.

They refused to commit to a timeline (probably from all tbe b*tching and moaning over 1.0 delays), but he did say it was coming OTA to both MachE and Lightning by (his guess) Q3 this year with MachE getting it first.

 

[Gullwingdmc]

my only question here… is the software already exists. The software deployment mechanism already exists… so what’s left to be done? The procedural order of installation exists for the new MY23’s…so it’s just a matter of figuring out the upgrade steps

huh? we are talking about rolling out something to existing cars that is in production cars.

slow does not equal fewer bugs in this case.

If either of you had to go through this process with blue cruise 1.0 you’d understand this is a complex update. When 1.0 rolled out it took months. First they had early access cars test the updates, then they tweaked the updates and rolled them out to early access again. Then they finally started pushing them to regular cars. This wasn’t just one update either, it was 8 consecutive updates and it took over a week.

The update process has gotten better since then, but they still are not going to rush anything and risk bricking cars, which I am thankful for.

 

[mikeinet]

If either of you had to go through this process with blue cruise 1.0 you’d understand this is a complex update. When 1.0 rolled out it took months. First they had early access cars test the updates, then they tweaked the updates and rolled them out to early access again. Then they finally started pushing them to regular cars. This wasn’t just one update either, it was 8 consecutive updates and it took over a week.

The update process has gotten better since then, but they still are not going to rush anything and risk bricking cars, which I am thankful for.

Oh I did… and I brought it to a dealer too.
But that’s the learning curve and having already done it once.

all I’m saying is the software is done, the deployment capability is done, tons of learnings from the first rollout… so why’s it take like a year to do the second version rollout

 

[SWO]

Oh I did… and I brought it to a dealer too.
But that’s the learning curve and having already done it once.

all I’m saying is the software is done, the deployment capability is done, tons of learnings from the first rollout… so why’s it take like a year to do the second version rollout

Ford isn't going to take a one in a million chance that a car could be bricked or (worse) run into a wall after a BC 1.2 update. If they screw something up, it would be catastrophic for the brand.

 

[tonesto7]

Ford isn't going to take a one in a million chance that a car could be bricked or (worse) run into a wall after a BC 1.2 update. If they screw something up, it would be catastrophic for the brand.

Safety has nothing to do with it. The 1.2 upgrade is basically just an IPMA software update with updated IPC software for the lane change visuals.
I’ve been running the 1.2 software on my 2021 F150 for almost 6 months and it works great.
the only thing missing for me is there Isn’t any IPC software for my model yet that has the lane change visuals.

Ford just wants to move new models by touting that as an exclusive feature.
They could easily roll this out. The upgrade would not be nearly as painful as it was to activate/install BC on early 2021 models.

 

[Woeo]

I wish Ford was faster at rolling out OTA updates. It seems like Tesla has a better process for getting updates to the masses.

How is that FSD roll out going?

 

[SWO]

Safety has nothing to do with it. The 1.2 upgrade is basically just an IPMA software update with updated IPC software for the lane change visuals.
I’ve been running the 1.2 software on my 2021 F150 for almost 6 months and it works great.
the only thing missing for me is there Isn’t any IPC software for my model yet that has the lane change visuals.

Ford just wants to move new models by touting that as an exclusive feature.
They could easily roll this out. The upgrade would not be nearly as painful as it was to activate/install BC on early 2021 models.

1. Google "Tesla bricked OTA update". Of course it's a consideration.

2. How are you running 1.2?

 

[johnny_golf]

Actually, there are significant differences.

Even when the specs of a given piece of hardware are officially unchanged, there are often minor running changes in suppliers and system components. If literally anything has changed in the hardware systems, even down to, say, the manufacturer of a sensor lens, the software needs to be tested with that configuration.

Then there’s the whole OTA aspect. A software package designed for upload at the component stage or hardwired after assembly is a much different package than one optimized for OTA. With OTA, size is a giant concern, as is speed of update. And bugs in the OTA installer package itself could mean bricked cars if you haven’t tested for potentially common scenarios.

These are things Tesla often doesn’t test and the results can range from hilarious to catastrophic.

So, no, they’re they’re not the same.

This was a great explanation of the reasons that you can't just roll out a software upgrade to a different year/trim of the Mach-E without further customization and testing. But looking at subsequent posts, I still don't think that some people get it.

It's the same reason that some features on an iPhone 14 will never work on an iPhone 13. It looks like the same phone, but the hardware isn't the same, as an example. But that's just one reason of many that new functionality has to be evaluated and tested to determine compatibility.

 

[spgordon57]

This was a great explanation of the reasons that you can't just roll out a software upgrade to a different year/trim of the Mach-E without further customization and testing. But looking at subsequent posts, I still don't think that some people get it.

It's the same reason that some features on an iPhone 14 will never work on an iPhone 13. It looks like the same phone, but the hardware isn't the same, as an example. But that's just one reason of many that new functionality has to be evaluated and tested to determine compatibility.

To my knowledge the difference between the 22 and 23 Premium models is the 23s have a lot less harness wiring. That weight loss resulted in increased max range, from 277 miles for the 22, to 290 miles for the 23. Could that one change require a lot of changes to the BC 1.2 software? Perhaps, but doubtful. I think the better explanation for limiting it to the 23 models is it allows Ford to tout it as “new and improved for 2023!”. Yes, Tesla tends to roll out software updates before they’re ready but they’re not beholden to the “new for 2023” mindset either.

 

[Jimrpa]

I have a 2022 MME Premium w/ extended range battery, and Bluecruise 1.0. The capability of this version is very limited. As a result I rarely use it. However I've been reading that V 1.2 is a major upgrade w/ new capabilities, and works much better overall. 2023 models come equipped with V 1.2. Does Ford plan to release V 1.2 via OTA update to customers with older models?

Genuinely curious here:

• In what way is the functionality of BlueCruise 1.2 “very limited”, leading to you to “rarely use it.”?
• What is the “major upgrade” and “capabilities” you believe that BlueCruise 1.2 will offer (which presumably will lead you to use BlueCruise more frequently)?

 

[generaltso]

To my knowledge the difference between the 22 and 23 Premium models is the 23s have a lot less harness wiring. That weight loss resulted in increased max range, from 277 miles for the 22, to 290 miles for the 23.

Where did you acquire this knowledge?

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