Why are OTA Updates Needed for Intelligent Transport Systems?
Over-The-Air (OTA) updates are routinely
used in IT, telecom and media industries.
Updating a smartphone looks like a natural
and desired feature for the end-user, but it
is a very complex task due to the diverse
nature of the updates (SIM card, phone
software and isolated trusted software for
micro payments to name a few) and the
demographics of smartphones. The
motivation behind these updates ranges
from security enhancements or bug
corrections to behavior changes that go
beyond “cosmetics” including:
•
•
•
•
Wireless speaker power increased
from 1200W to 2000W 1
Augmented reality added navigation
application
Furthermore, OTA has changed from
“unknown” to “business critical” at the CxO
level. 5
Until recently, Intelligent Transport Systems
(ITS) players have not seen an imperative
need for OTA. Reasons range from the lack
of connectivity to high quality small software
and the risks of compromising safety.
Updates in ITS have gradually evolved, and
some car makers allow full updates of many
systems
including
Advanced
Driver
Assistance Systems (ADAS).
OTA C HALLENGES FOR ITS
An ITS OTA solution is nothing without
authoring, campaign design and deployment
components. While it is clear that the
operational aspects will be complex, the
most challenging aspects appear at the
device level. Solutions will involve hardware
evolutions and will impact all components of
the OTA value chain. At the device level, the
OTA challenges arise depending on whether
OTA in ITS is evolving from cost savings to
business opportunities including:
•
o A car can autonomously pick up
a user where they are 2
o 5% 3 increase in peak power (0-
60mph in 2.9s instead of 3.2s—
23% more efficient)
Regulatory changes
o As EU regulations have
dramatically changed in
Robotics, 4 the same will happen
in ITS as the regulator is exposed
to new situations
Future business models
o Engine power adjusted as per
flexible subscription.
Feature enhancements
1 https://help.devialet.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009457019-Migration-DOS-2-and-Phantom-Premier
2 https://www.tesla.com/blog/introducing-software-version-10-0
3 https://www.tesla.com/blog/35000-tesla-model-3-available-now
4 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2016/571379/IPOL_STU(2016)571379_EN.pdf
Dr. Markus Heyn, a member of the Bosch board of management: https://www.bosch-mobility-
solutions.com/media/global/highlights/connected-mobility/updates-over-the-air/internet-connectivity_press-information.pdf
5
IIC Journal of Innovation
- 2 -