The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Signals The Brand’s Shift To Over-The-Air Updates

The Mach-E is the first of many vehicles to get the feature, and not just EVs

Electric cars are paving the way for OTA (“over-the-air” updates) — so you won’t have to go to your dealer nearly as often. [Photos: Ford]

Most modern cars are absolute tech-fests, thanks to their increasingly feature-packed and complicated infotainment systems as well as onboard computers that control just about every part of their operation. “Simple”, mechanical cars are a thing of the past, but there’s been some annoying inconveniences that living with a modern car can bring. Beyond just learning how they work in the first place, you’ve had to bring your car to a dealer to get any official software updates to keep everything running smoothly.

Now, thanks to better wireless technology, over-the-air updates are getting more common, especially with electric cars. You can see the appeal: Hook your car up to your home Wi-Fi network, and manufacturers can simply push the latest updates to your car through the Internet. In doing that, you can get infotainment and performance updates without having to take your car anywhere. It’s a feature that Tesla sold hard in its newest models, and now Ford is implementing OTA technology in the upcoming Mach-E. Beyond that, the company says it will bring wireless updates to further models, and not just electric vehicles.

For the Mach-E, Ford says in its statement that, “Nearly all Mustang Mach-E computer modules can be updated wirelessly, meaning Ford can provide performance enhancements and entirely new features that may not exist when customers first take delivery of their vehicles.” For updates that require the car to be parked to complete, owners can choose the best time to take care of it so they can still drive their cars normally.

Ford expects to roll out over-the-air updates within six months of the Mustang Mach-E launch, which is slated for later this year.

A new normal for modern cars and trucks

What’s more, the company says it will equip most of its redesigned vehicles in the U.S. with OTA update capability. Apart from the convenience angle, engineers working on the Mach-E’s development have actually been able to take advantage of the capability during the coronavirus pandemic to remotely access all the vehicle modules from home.

Engineers have been able to collaborate with their teams, test and program updates for the Ford Mustang Mach-E from home.

With the SYNC infotainment suite entering its latest iteration and wireless access, the Blue Oval hopes to offer secure software updates to its owners throughout the coming wave of new product launches.

If you’re interested in seeing more on the Ford Mustang Mach-E, you can check out our video below on how it compares to its chief rival, the Tesla Model Y: