One million installations and counting: the rollout of over-the-air (OTA) updates to Volvo cars in markets across the globe continues. Our latest update includes the ability to issue voice commands through Google Assistant-enabled devices allowing drivers to warm up their car and amongst other abilities in the US market, launching a wider introduction of our Care Key technology, bringing integrated connectivity in additional markets and various updates and stability improvements.
Over-the-air updates are a key technology that help us deliver on our ambition to make our cars continuously better. They also cement our position as one of the industry leaders when it comes to updating car software remotely. Updates over the air also mean you don’t have to visit a workshop anymore to get the latest software, which we think is rather convenient.
Our eleventh large OTA update is expected to reach 350,000 customer cars around the globe, the largest amount we ever covered in one single deployment. That takes the total number of over-the-air updates we delivered to over one million.
The total number of markets covered by the update has increased to 68, which constitutes more than half of all markets globally in which over 95 per cent of Volvo cars are sold. No less than 22 new markets have been added to the scope since our last OTA update.
“Thanks to over-the-air updates and our rapidly growing in-house software development, we can create and deploy new features as well as enhance the customer experience much quicker than before,” says Alwin Bakkenes, our head of software engineering.
“Hey Google, what’s included in this update?”
So what do customers get in this latest update? In the US market, for the cars that can receive the OTA update, we’re rolling out Google Assistant controlled actions that allow seamless connectivity between your Google devices and your car. The functionality delivered in this OTA update includes actions like checking your battery or fuel levels, starting the climate control or to check on the charging status of your car and even start or end your charging session all through a ‘Hey Google’ command on your device. And just in time for the cold weather season, you can even command ‘Hey Google, warm up my car’ all without taking off your winter gloves.
“The launch of Google Assistant controlled actions is a demonstration of our commitment to providing our customers with a better car every day, adding more convenience and peace of mind,” says Alwin Bakkenes.
While this functionality is currently available only in the US for the cars that can receive the OTA update, it is planned to expand to other markets in the near future. The list of available commands will continue to grow in the future, as well.
Also included in this update is the expansion of our Care Key technology. Originally introduced in 2021, the Care Key allows you to easily limit the maximum speed on your car even further than the built-in limit.
Perfect when, for example, you want to lend your Volvo car to other family members or less experienced drivers. Thanks to the Care Key they can further hone their fledgling driving skills, while you can rest assured that they drive at a safer speed.