Ford to Expand Mach-E's Early Access Program For OTA Updates

[buffasnow]

Does this mean moving forward people might not get the free frunk dividers?

Yee ha! Look for my limited availability 2021 MME First Edition frunk divider, coming soon to eBay. Only (around) 25,000 made! Indvidually signed and numbered.* Installation not included.

*by me

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[macchiaz-o]

Yeah... I just asked a question. Wasn’t sure if this news article means the first substantive OTA has now been pushed to Q3, or if we can still expect the one mentioned in that SSM in Q2.

He wasn't replying to you individually.

 

[jeng]

Sorry, TL;DR

Back to the whole issue of the timely-ness of those OTA updates. Back when the iPhone first came out, I don't think that it was common practice for regular OTA updates to occur on phones back then. That differently didn't happen with my Moto Razr. Maybe on PDAs or the Side Kick you would get one every now and then. I do remember the scores of issues that each update brought in those early days (it maybe be still true today). Comically for at last two releases, the first round of updates would always cause thousands users to be unable to connect to certain WiFi access points. I believe a lot of those were from educational institutions.

Point being, if you release an update on a phone that ends up causing thousands of users to loose some function of that phone. Those users are inconvenienced until a fix is released. If an OTA update is deployed on a car, and several hundred accidents happen as a result. There would be tons of bad press, law suits from car owners and insurance companies, and investigations from the NHTSA. Not to mention canceled orders and lost sales.

This is Ford‘s first experience with OTA updates on a completely new infotainment system and vehicle architecture. So it will logically take some time until Ford is comfortable enough to support regular update intervals. Since Ford also has to support OTA updates to the F-150s too, that just adds to the complexity of these OTA updates. Supporting two different vehicles, with a different set of interconnected sub-systems in each, and two different UIs is not easy. There is a reason why Apple didn’t support phones with different screen sizes until the iPhone 6. It just takes time to stand up a good development and testing process with accurate scheduling.

So be patient. Your OTA updates will arrive in due time. Once these updates become more regular, there will be more to complain about then, and we will all forget this period ever happened. Maybe there will be another thread then discussing how Ford should slow down their update schedule to spend more time in testing.

 

[Jimrpa]

It‘s not airtight. But it doesn’t have to be airtight for it to be an entrapment risk, just like trunks in sedans. We don’t know the specific safety issue, and the abundance of speculation that was done here when this was first discussed months ago didn‘t change that.

Ok. I thought the airtight thing was authoritative. No matter. I’m still puzzled why this never impacted Tesla. What is different about their, significantly larger, front trunks?

 

[timbop]

Ok. I thought the airtight thing was authoritative. No matter. I’m still puzzled why this never impacted Tesla. What is different about their, significantly larger, front trunks?

We didn't know last summer when it first came up (and the dividers started appearing), and no insider nor Ford itself have released any further information about it since.

 

[mixduptransistor]

I thought I read someplace that the issue is that the front trunk is airtight when closed, causing a suffocation risk for people (children) trapped in it? If that’s the case, then a modification may be necessary before they’re allowed to install the software update? After all, Tesla’s have much larger front trunks and don’t have this issue.

Ok. I thought the airtight thing was authoritative. No matter. I’m still puzzled why this never impacted Tesla. What is different about their, significantly larger, front trunks?

If I had to guess the escape button in a Tesla doesn't go through a computer. If you watch this guy taking apart a Tesla front trunk at this specific point you can see him actuating the frunk release with the escape button and with how quickly it actions, and where the wire attaches to the car I would bet a paycheck it's a very simple button that directly activates the release motor. Whereas the Mach E's release button sends a signal to an ECU (computer) that someone is requesting the trunk open and software in that computer then sends a command to another computer to activate the release motor

 

[SashaLondon]

I have owned Porsche boxsters and Carreras. They have all had frunks without an issue. I don’t understand why Ford had a problem with something so simple.

 

[Njia]

It's very concerning to me as a prospective buyer, I'm not loyal to Tesla or anything but I just checked and after the Model 3 was released there was 6 updates just in the first 4 months.

Lots of new features added, some performance, and lots of bug fixes

But... Tesla treats its production customers as hardware and software beta testers (Elon has said exactly that). Comparing the Tesla release schedule to Ford’s is apples and oranges. Ford can’t get away with half-baked product releases to the same extent that Tesla - with its cult-like following - can.

 

[wmurphy67]

If they add frunk release to FordPass, it is possible that it would be easy to control with Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant. Right now, you can do stuff like unlock/lock or check the charge status, etc. with those assistants connected to FordPass.

Can you explain more? I use Siri, and would be curious what I can (and cannot) do, both via CarPlay or by using my phone when I am not in the car.

 

[Njia]

I hear OTA I think monthly at least. My phone has had 4 OS updates since Mach-E went on sale, I genuinely don't get why my Mach-E hasn't been updated as frequently if not more, since it's a substantially more expensive consumer electronics purchase than a phone.

Also much more complex than a phone with about 100,000 more parts that have to work as perfectly as humans can make any machine.

I’m guessing you’re not an engineer.

 

[Njia]

As a customer, I expect the exact opposite. Not getting less for more, getting more for more.

When shit starts breaking because of the “more for more” strategy, you’ll see the lunacy of that approach.

 

[agoldman]

Ford is being overly conservative on all this. I'd prefer a bit more oomph... Or at least let us choose whether we want to be on the beta chain. At this slow pace, that auto pilot feature will never come. beta testing for a simple frunk release button, seriously?

 

[JSW]

I believe people’s desire for OTA updates is directly proportional to their individual desire/need for change. The varied responses above make sense to me.

If your MMe suffers from one of the many glitches plaguing some of us, you want it - bad. It would restore functionality for some and confidence for others.

If your MMe is relatively issue-free, an update might improve functionality (versus restore). The desire/need is of lesser import.

If your MMe is near-perfect, you might be in the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix/risk it” camp. Patience is easy here.

Let’s try to have some grace for those whose MMe is far from perfect and feel like their $60k was high relative to what they received (and whose desire for an OTA “fix” remains extreme).

Personally, when I responded to the early access questionnaire, it kicked me out. I tend not to like NDAs and value my ability to speak freely. I’m now at the bottom of the queue, and may never get the first OTA....

 

[Woeo]

Regarding airtightness I recall Ford offered up the story that the origin of the frunk drain was to relieve air pressure when the hood was closed.

 

[Jimrpa]

Yeah I get that but if you're inside the car, not sure navigating the menus on the center screen will be any faster or easier.

The QUICKEST way to open the front trunk would be to say “Hey, Mustang Mach E, open the front trunk” ?

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