Movimento and Mitsubishi Electric collaborate to bring OTA tech to more cars

By Stephen Edelstein Published October 15, 2015

As cars become more reliant on software, the way that software gets updated is becoming more critical. Like a personal computer or smartphone, many modern cars are running myriad programs that need to be updated regularly if they are to remain useful and functional.

Movimento Group has developed over-the-air (OTA) software update interfaces for cars, including one that can update any OBDII-equipped vehicle’s operating system wirelessly. Now, Mitsubishi Electric plans to integrate Movimento’s tech into its next-generation in-vehicle head-unit architecture to provide cloud-based update capabilities.

Recommended Videos

By incorporating OTA, the new architecture, which is called FLEXConnect, will allow vehicle owners to continuously receive updates without having to return to the dealership, the companies say. While Movimento and Mitsubishi Electric have worked together before, they claim this latest collaboration marks an “important milestone” in building infotainment systems from the ground up with OTA capabilities.

The companies believe making a greater effort to keep software up to date will help manufacturers and customers by lessening software-related recalls and warranty work. It should give manufacturers more flexibility, allowing them to push updates to infotainment systems when they are ready, without a coordinated dealer-service campaign or model-refresh rollout.

“By incorporating Movimento OVA technology,” offered Mitsubishi Electric’s director of sales, quality and engineering, audio, video & communications, “our customers will be able to shorten software deployment times, roll out new features, and instantly issue security patches throughout the vehicle, not just in the infotainment system,”

The Movimento OTA platform also includes back-end infrastructure for managing vehicle software, plus the aforementioned in-vehicle client for collecting diagnostic data, and the necessary security features to prevent hacking, the companies assert. Data collected through the system could also prove valuable to carmakers, who will be able to use it to analyze their customers’ driving habits.

OTA capability isn’t new to the car industry. Tesla uses it to deliver its periodic software updates, and Ford is using automatic over-the-air updates with its new Sync 3 infotainment system. But as cars become more reliant on software, the use of over-the-air updates is likely to increase.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

The Lucid Gravity has more range than any other electric SUV

A Lucid Gravity electric SUV on the road.

The Lucid Air is a marvelous electric car. It offers more range than any EV currently on sale, plus impressive performance and tech. However, it’s also a sedan, and therefore will always have limited reach in a marketplace dominated by SUVs. Enter the Lucid Gravity, a seven-passenger, three-row SUV launching in 2024 that will allow Lucid to reach a wider audience.

The Gravity is a sensible follow-up to the Air. Having introduced itself to the world with that sedan, Lucid can now channel some of the buzz into a vehicle aimed at a larger patch of the market. But it also presents a challenge. In order to create a true SUV, Lucid had to make the Gravity heavier and less aerodynamic than the Air, cutting into the efficiency that was a hallmark of the sedan’s design.

Cars

The fastest electric cars, ranked by 0-60 mph acceleration

porsche taycan electric car acceleration test on aircraft carrier deck prototype

Electric vehicles benefit from instant torque, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're quick.

The more affordable electric cars, like the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Hyundai Kona Electric, are zippy around town, but nothing to brag about on a drag strip. However, higher-end models like the ones we're looking at here can keep up with some of the most powerful gasoline-burning sports cars in the world -- and in many cases beat them.

Cars

The cheapest electric cars you can buy

A Telsa Model 3 drives along a road.

To date, electric vehicles have cost considerably more than their gasoline-powered counterparts, but that’s finally changing. Every year, more and more inexpensive EVs are hitting the market and, with the help of local, state, and federal tax credits and rebates (if available), many of them now sell for well below the 2023 median car price of $48,000.

If you're a budget-conscious buyer, that number is probably little consolation. However, there are a lot of good options for closer to $30,000 and below -- if you know where to look. That's why we've put together this guide. Here's a list of the nine most affordable electric vehicles available right now, ranked from cheapest to most expensive. Note that we're only including vehicles that are available in the U.S.