[einarulfsson]

Like Microsoft and Apple, I expect GM to continuously update Software. Improve Lane assist (sooner, tighter), know the speedlimit from Navigation, etc. Any thoughts or Intelligence on that? Insiders

 

[AZ EV Driver]

If GM would like to sell you a new car every few years, why would they "update" an older platform - for free?

VIN # B0985

 

[llninja]

Like Microsoft and Apple, I expect GM to continuously update Software. Improve Lane assist (sooner, tighter), know the speedlimit from Navigation, etc. Any thoughts or Intelligence on that? Insiders

Good luck with that. GM is acting more like GM, less like Apple.

BTW Microsoft doesn't continuously update their software. I found a bug where in Windows 8 and Microsoft Word 2013 in draft mode, two finger scrolling doesn't work. Even today with Windows 10 and Office 2016, the problem still exists. Lots of surface pro and tablet owners keep piling onto my initial thread in the MS forums. I sold off my twin 23" touch screen displays and went back to Mac and iPad because this bug was so hard to deal with.

 

[edk-austin]

No, GM is not Tesla. GM has made some noise about over-the-air updates for Bolt, but there is no expectation of such for Volt. It does what it does. BTW, it does know the speed limit, but I forget, is that from OnStar or XM radio?

I did do a map navigation update on my 2014, cost me $160 on a USB stick.

 

[mikeg3]

If GM would like to sell you a new car every few years, why would they "update" an older platform - for free?

VIN # B0985

They won't do it for money, either. Software companies include functional upgrades in their maintenance agreements. Car companies don't.

1. The dealers would have a fit, even if they got to retail the upgrades because ...
2. Car sales are how everyone in the car business keeps score.

 

[mikeg3]

Good luck with that. GM is acting more like GM, less like Apple.

BTW Microsoft doesn't continuously update their software. I found a bug where in Windows 8 and Microsoft Word 2013 in draft mode, two finger scrolling doesn't work. Even today with Windows 10 and Office 2016, the problem still exists. Lots of surface pro and tablet owners keep piling onto my initial thread in the MS forums. I sold off my twin 23" touch screen displays and went back to Mac and iPad because this bug was so hard to deal with.

Back when computers were the size of a room and priced accordingly, IBM fixed all bugs. The less important bugs just took longer.

Microsoft has users vote on which bugs to fix. I was shocked by this at first, but choosing not to fix all bugs is now the industry standard.

 

[KenC]

Like Microsoft and Apple, I expect GM to continuously update Software. Improve Lane assist (sooner, tighter), know the speedlimit from Navigation, etc. Any thoughts or Intelligence on that? Insiders

You would think that, but you'd be wrong. The only way software updates happen to IMPROVE functionality, and not just to fix bugs, is if Tesla gains traction, much more than now, and forces the incumbent carmakers to up their game. It'll happen eventually, but not to any GM cars that are on the road today.

 

[accelerus]

GM is going to have to get it's head out of its ass sooner rather than later if they want to keep up. Ignoring the power of over the air updates is a mistake plain and simple.

Part of the problem is that dealers want to keep their fingers in the pie and get people coming through the door so they can bombard them with oil changes, blinker fluid, and all sorts of crap.

While I enjoy my 2017 Volt, I've been putting off going and getting some update/recall software done just because it's a waste of my time to rearrange my already weird schedule just to get a software patch. It's little stuff like this that make me really excited to get into a Model3 in probably 2 years time.

 

[Beaudoin]

Not having automatic navigation updates was a real annoyance for me in the 2013 Cruze I had. I live in a city that has seen a great deal of expansion and many roads were missing. I had to rely on Google Maps on my iPhone at least 40% of the time because the navigation was so bad.

 

[Bacardi]

Volt was touted for having OTA, launched without Android Auto, when the update was available you had to visit your friendly dealership vs an OTA...

Bolt EV is touted for having OTA, launched without the Nav w/charging info, we'll see the future of GM and OTA by how they'll deploy the update...

 

[accelerus]

I think I saw it mentioned that people are worried about their cars getting bricked by OTA updates... very simple and cheap solution to this. Have a backup programmable rom onboard.

Very similar to updated the BIOS on any motherboard, the enthusiast and overclocking class of motherboards have redundant backup roms, should the flashing update fail (for whatever reason) the previous/existing rom is ready and good to go with a 1 second flip of a switch. Sure you might have to still take the car in to have it diagnosed or fixed, but you wouldn't be left with a car that has to be towed.

The awesome thing I've seen with the Model S's is that as the years progress and updates to the UI and such come about, previous buyers aren't left in the dust or forgotten about. It gives the buyer the feeling of "hey I'm still getting new cool stuff years after I bought the car".

The old school auto manufacturer thinking of "you want the new interface, you gotta pay for it" just doesn't really fly in 2017 with over the air free updates. As the up and coming generation gets into cars (self driving or not) they will have a very low tolerance for having to rearrange their life around a car to get some flash update done by hand at a dealership.

 

[Murrcar]

It's not just GM. It's every other car manufacturer in the world except Tesla. They make their money on people who want the latest greatest thing, not retrofitting vehicles already built. They do not have enough engineers to get all the things accomplished now. I am a recently retired GM powertrain engineer. I have seen it first hand that there is not enough qualified people out there. And a lot of the young good one are continuously looking for something better, switching companies at any hint of increased compensation.

 

[mikeg3]

It's not just GM. It's every other car manufacturer in the world except Tesla. They make their money on people who want the latest greatest thing, not retrofitting vehicles already built. They do not have enough engineers to get all the things accomplished now. I am a recently retired GM powertrain engineer. I have seen it first hand that there is not enough qualified people out there. And a lot of the young good one are continuously looking for something better, switching companies at any hint of increased compensation.

It used to be that you were hired for the long run as long as you did your job well. In turn, most engineers stayed in the company. They climbed the ladder if they wanted management or they just went for work/life balance.

Now, the big employers like GM are always thinking about downsizing, off-shoring, forced early retirement, part-timing, and H1B temps. In consequence, employees, including engineers, are always looking out for themselves and their families. Loyalty cuts both ways.

I know that GM wants to live in the past, where car owners upgraded every 2-3 years, but the past is the past. The Dell PC I'm using now has run every Microsoft OS since Windows XP. IBM wanted to live in the past selling mainframes. Luckily, they changed direction and now mainly sell services.

There was a time when you brought in your new car back to the dealer two or three times to get the manufacturing errors fixed. US manufacturers said that inspecting a car thoroughly enough to eliminate all problems at the factory was not cost effective. The Japanese manufacturers, using the ideas of an American engineer named Deming, showed how to build cars right the first time. Once someone bought a cheap Honda with zero defects, she never went back to GM.

If GM does not change direction, and soon, they will need another bailout and they won't get it or deserve it.