Automakers can now offer car owners seamless cloud-based embedded software maintenance and the latest capability upgrades over vehicle’s entire lifecycle.
Sierra Wireless and Movimento today announced a partnership to provide automotive OEMs with an integrated solution to streamline vehicle software installation and updates.
Sierra Wireless’s device-to-cloud solution and Movimento’s Over the Air (OTA) technology together provide the industry’s first commercially available cloud-based platform to maintain connected cars.
“Cars are becoming part of our connected life, and we expect that they are not only up to date, secure and reliable, but we also want access to the latest features,” said Philippe Guillemette, Chief Technology Officer, Sierra Wireless. “The solution that we’ve created with Movimento will enable automotive manufacturers to deliver these complex software requirements seamlessly across a vehicle’s entire lifecycle.”
All vehicles have numerous software programs running on a network of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) that need to be individually managed and maintained. The Sierra Wireless-Movimento solution allows automotive OEMs to update software for all ECUs simultaneously over-the-air. When an automaker needs to upgrade a vehicle’s systems, it’s now as simple as logging into the dashboard over a secure network and selecting the appropriate update campaign.
According to data collected by J.D. Power through its SafetyIQ program, 189 separate software recalls have been issued in the past five years, impacting more than 13 million vehicles. With the Sierra Wireless-Movimento solution, these recalls could be easily and efficiently resolved over-the-air, and without missing any vehicles.
“Our combined solution removes all of the complexity for auto OEMs and Tier One vendors who supply the connected car industry,” said Mahbubul Alam, CTO/CMO, Movimento.
“Rather than worrying about maintaining all the different software and firmware versions, we created a centralized solution from car to cloud. You don’t have to provision every ECU with a dedicated software agent, which reduces CPU and memory requirements, along with overall costs.”
Movimento’s software update client runs on the Legato™ Linux Embedded Application Framework available on Sierra Wireless 4G automotive modules. Through the Sierra Wireless AirVantage cloud platform, the Movimento solution enables automakers to seamlessly upgrade all vehicle software.
“IHS is forecasting that most automakers will introduce an OTA software capability in their cars in the next three to five years,” said Sam Lucero, Senior Principal Analyst, IHS. “Unified platforms, such as this introduction from Sierra Wireless and Movimento, are yet another harbinger of adoption of OTA in the automotive industry.”
