Your current car probably still has exactly the features it had the day it left the factory. Your next car may gain new features regularly. Sometimes, even while it sits in a parking spot.
That’s the vision Ford is pursuing with Ford Power-Up, a new program that will push enhancements out to Ford vehicles regularly with over-the-air software updates.
“Ford Power-Up enhancements already have been sent to more than 100,000 2021 F-150 and Mustang Mach-E customers since late March,” the company says.
Other automakers have adopted similar systems.
Download a Game, or a Performance Upgrade
Updates can be small and lighthearted. Ford notes that “sketch for touchscreen drawing and simple gaming” will be coming to the Mach-E’s infotainment screen soon. Or, they can be fundamental to a car’s performance. Tesla last year improved the braking performance of nearly 1 million Model 3 sedans with an over-the-air update after reviewers cited long braking distances. Later, the company boosted the range of Model 3s while they sat in owners’ driveways.
Today’s cars contain hundreds of microchips that control everything from engine timing to cabin temperature. Like cell phones, they also wirelessly connect to the internet. That, Ford says, “creates the foundation to deliver unique Ford Power-Up software updates.” The upgrades “can help improve the ownership experience and may help reduce the need for repair trips.”
Alexa Download Coming
Ford plans to roll out an in-car version of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant later this year. “The same type of Alexa voice command functionality many people have in their homes will be wired to 700,000 Ford vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, followed by millions more over the next few years.”
Owners will get three years of complimentary service.
The company also expects to offer its BlueCruise hands-free highway driving “to properly equipped F-150 and Mustang Mach-E vehicles with additional software purchase later this year.”
