Volkswagen: Many electric car drivers refuse software updates

In March, Volkswagen introduced the latest version of its identity family electric vehicle software. New cars are already rolling off the assembly line with them, and owners of already delivered cars must install Generation 3.0 software on the network as of the second quarter. However, the subsequent update of the functions of the car “over the air” has so far been accepted by customers only with hesitation.

According to VW, the first over-the-air update with software 2.3 has been installed on 120,000 ID.3 and ID.4 in Europe since its launch last summer. 15 to 20 percent of identity. Drivers haven’t put their networked cars online, reports Car Week. “Many customers are still playing around with 1.0 or 2.1,” acknowledged ID Marketing Director Silke Bagschik.

“Obviously it’s not a question of the cars being updated online,” says development director Thomas Ulbrich. However, the update is not yet working for all vehicles due to data transfers over the mobile network. For previous software versions, this requires a workshop update. Only from software version 2.4 onwards can more updates be easily received purely digitally.

3.0 is “another real leap,” as Ulbrich promises. Current version 2.3 after initial software problems with ID.3 is “very good”, “but 3.0 would be better”. The next update is already being worked on, and 3.1 shouldn’t be long in the future.

Software 3.0, which has been installed in new vehicles since the end of March and will soon be available on existing vehicles, will bring some changes. This includes in particular modern driver assistance systems – also optional with “crowd data” – higher cargo capacity for individual models and better voice control performance.

The new identifier. Software 3.0 is an upgrade of our entire ID. Family: We are taking our products to a new functional level because we operate faster, are more networked and are more customer-oriented,” explained Ulbrich in the official release. This will also do justice to the demand for high-quality technologies and innovations in all categories.