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NO MORE FOMO: NEW FORD OVER-THE-AIR UPDATES HELP MUSTANG MACH-E GET EVEN BETTER WITH TIME -- WITHOUT LEAVING HOME
May 12, 2020 | DEARBORN, Mich.

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  • Ford ensures its all-new all-electric Mustang Mach-E stays up to date thanks to quick and easy over-the-air updates that can be done from anywhere – even your own home
  • Many updates can be completed in under two minutes1, with many virtually invisible to customers, enabled by an innovative cloud-connected platform that keeps current software running until a new version is ready to go – technology not available in some popular smartphones
  • Secure software updates to offer enhancements throughout the SUV, from the SYNC® communications and entertainment system to upgrades that enhance quality, capability and convenience
DEARBORN, Mich., May 12, 2020 – Owners of the all-new all-electric Mustang Mach-E won’t need to worry about keeping up with the Joneses, thanks to over-the-air updates that work to continuously improve the SUV over the vehicle’s life without leaving home.

And unlike some vehicles that require owners to wait while a software update takes place, Ford has developed a way to allow secure updates to download in the background, and in some cases, be completed in under two minutes1.

“The beauty of the Mustang Mach-E is that what our customers experience on day one is just the beginning – it will evolve to add even more features and capabilities over time,” said John Vangelov, connected services manager, Ford Motor Company. “Our clever over-the-air updates also minimize downtime through incredibly fast activation and ensure your Mustang Mach-E is always getting better, even when you’re asleep.”

These improvements go well beyond SYNC®updates. Nearly all Mustang Mach-E computer modules can be updated wirelessly, meaning Ford can provide performance enhancements and entirely new features that might not exist when customers first take delivery of their vehicles.

Some installations will be virtually invisible to customers, who can select a regular time – such as the middle of the night – for updates while their Mustang Mach-E is parked. Many updates will be completed almost instantly after a customer starts their vehicle, while in-vehicle alerts will tell them what improvements have been installed. Many can be completed in under two minutes, and more complex updates that might require the vehicle to be parked for longer can be scheduled to take place when customers find it most convenient.

Ford expects to deliver its first updates within six months after the first Mustang Mach-E vehicles are in the hands of customers. Owners will receive notifications detailing software updates when they are available, which can then be applied using either Wi-Fi or cellular connections, depending on the update.

Mustang Mach-E is just the start when it comes to this technology. In 2020, Ford will begin equipping most redesigned vehicles in the U.S. with advanced over-the-air update capability for quick and easy wireless upgrades that can help enhance quality, capability and improve the ownership experience over time while reducing dealer trips.

Ford delivering for its customers even during a pandemic

To ensure Mustang Mach-E launches with this advanced capability as planned, Ford’s engineering team has found new ways to develop and test over-the-air updates in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, teams would have to get together in the same physical space to access all the different vehicle modules needed to test over-the-air capabilities – but work-from-home requirements mean engineers needed to think fast to change the way they operate.

The team moved swiftly to set up remote access to all of the vehicle modules, even wiring them with tools enabling engineers to quickly reprogram modules from their homes. What initially took five hours to program remotely can now be done in under 10 minutes.

“By quickly implementing remote access to our vehicle components, we’re ensuring our Mustang Mach-E customers can enjoy the great capabilities they’ve been looking forward to from the start, while providing the accommodations our engineers need to continue innovating from the safety of their homes,” said Vangelov.

Reserve the Mustang Mach-E here.

1 Updates can be activated in under two minutes, while any updates that may require the vehicle to be parked can be scheduled to take place when customers find it most convenient.


Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford releases some info on Mach-E Over-the-air updates (OTA) feature Screen Shot 2020-05-12 at 5.47.24 AM
 
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Calvin4000

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Wait and see.... ?
 

ChasingCoral

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Sounds good. However a press release is the easy part. Let's wait until thousands of cars have received multiple updates successfully. With no bricking, stuck updates, screen freezing, etc. Wish them luck. Hopefully the release new updates a couple times a month like others.
 


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In an earlier release they've said the car will use the A/B approach: System runs on the A partition and updates are applied to the B partition. When the updates are complete the system reboots and uses the B partition as the main one allowing A to now receive updates.

Google has recently made Android work this way as well. It does have the advantage of being able to easily roll back (simply boot into the older partition).

It also explains the whole "under 2 minutes" bullet point since once the update has been downloaded its a simple reboot to bring up the newly updated partition.

The big disadvantage of this approach as that the module storage has to be 2x it would normally be. These days the cost increase for that is pretty minimal--it wasn't like that in the past.
 

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This is great to see Ford finally doling out some cool info to know. It also refutes the earlier report from the Ford marketing guy that only sync could be updated OTA
 

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This is great to see Ford finally doling out some cool info to know. It also refutes the earlier report from the Ford marketing guy that only sync could be updated OTA
Not sure which Ford marketing guy you are referencing. Multiple videos that came out around the launch agreed with this report: basically everything in the car can be updated via OTA. That will be awesome!
 

ClaudeMach-E

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Hopefully they won't be like Tesla who is sometimes charging thousands of dollars on their owners credit cards for some OTA without their authorization. They are also claiming monthly fee for some capabilities, like the 3D nav capacity for example.
 

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Not sure which Ford marketing guy you are referencing. Multiple videos that came out around the launch agreed with this report: basically everything in the car can be updated via OTA. That will be awesome!
My memory is fuzzy, but it was back in February - I think at that unveiling event in London. The marketing guy said it to one of our members, who reported it. At the time we all conjectured he was incorrect, as Darren Palmer et al had mentioned the OTA would be for everything. It's just nice to get something about it in writing as opposed to an offhand comment.
 

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Hopefully they won't be like Tesla who is sometimes charging thousands of dollars on their owners credit cards for some OTA without their authorization. They are also claiming monthly fee for some capabilities, like the 3D nav capacity for example.
Let's not resort to FUD of other EV's on this forum. The Tesla has an optional $10 premium connectivity for high bandwidth features when not on wifi. For example my neighbor watches YouTube and Netflix while waiting to pick up her kids at school. Navigation still works with the free connectivity, you just don't get street view and live traffic. If we want to bash other cars here, let's at least not spread FUD.
 

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The Tesla has an optional $10 premium connectivity for high bandwidth features when not on wifi. For example my neighbor watches YouTube and Netflix while waiting to pick up her kids at school. Navigation still works with the free connectivity, you just don't get street view and live traffic. If we want to bash other cars here, let's at least not spread FUD.
There's no street view. What you lose without premium connectivity is the aerial/satellite overlay and, as noted, media streaming and traffic visualizations. However, navigation still uses traffic information for routing.

I don't intend to subscribe to the premium package when my trial period is over, since I don't use any of those things.
 

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Let's not resort to FUD of other EV's on this forum. The Tesla has an optional $10 premium connectivity for high bandwidth features when not on wifi. For example my neighbor watches YouTube and Netflix while waiting to pick up her kids at school. Navigation still works with the free connectivity, you just don't get street view and live traffic. If we want to bash other cars here, let's at least not spread FUD.
I think the reference was in regards to the Tesla Performance Update that many people were being charged for against their knowledge.
 

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many people were being charged
?

I am afraid the Mach E is going to get the same treatment, a few loud complaints grab the headlines with no context. With a million cars sold, what is many?

The minute an OTA goes south, the headlines will be exaggerated and Mach E will get a bad wrap. Hopefully Ford has it really buttoned up.
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