According to data company ABI Research, automakers in the United States will save $ 1.5 billion annually from 2028 thanks to over-the-air software updates. Currently, performing software updates and associated recalls in the United States costs automakers well over half a billion dollars a year. Recalls are becoming more common as software becomes more complex, ABI writes in her research. In the US, nearly 10 million cars were recalled in 2022 due to software-related issues, with nearly half requiring software updates. “OTA updates are essential for automakers and an important source of revenue,” said Dylan Khoo, smart mobility and automotive analyst at ABI Research. “It also improves the driver’s digital experience and facilitates autonomous driving functions.”In the short term, it also provides cost savings. By 2023, Adi expects manufacturers in the United States to save nearly $ 500 million. ABI Research further states that most new cars can already receive OTA updates, but that it has not yet been applied to all cars. For example, in 2022, Toyota recalled more than 500 thousand cars worldwide for software-related reasons. None of these problems were solved remotely, despite the fact that they were often newer models. Tesla is currently at the forefront of remote software updates. The American car brand has never recalled a car for an on-site software update. In the Switzerland, Tesla was able to solve more than 6 thousand problems with the emergency call system with a remote update. This is shown by figures from RDW.
