What Are Over-The-Air (OTA) Software Updates and How Do They Work in Electric Vehicles (EVs)?

Over-The-Air (OTA) updates in electric vehicles use wireless technology to enhance features, improve performance, and fix issues, allowing your EV to upgrade without visiting a service center.

Imagine waking up to find your car has improved overnight—no dealership visit, just a simple software update.

That’s the magic of Over-The-Air (OTA) updates in electric vehicles. OTA updates use wireless connectivity to enhance everything from performance to safety features, much like how your smartphone updates itself.

These updates fall into two types: SOTA (for software like navigation and entertainment) and FOTA (for hardware control like powertrain systems). With OTA, cars can continuously improve without a visit to the service center.

Automakers can quickly fix bugs, add new features, and improve efficiency, as seen with Polestar, which introduced a YouTube app and boosted performance via OTA for its Polestar 2 models.

The future of OTA looks bright, with faster, more seamless updates thanks to advancing technologies like 5G. As vehicles stay connected, they’ll continue to improve, making your car better long after you’ve driven it off the lot.

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