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settembre 30, 2021 - Renault

FOTA: updates are in the air

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Cars are becoming increasingly sophisticated, interactive, and connected, and they can now receive remote updates. Revolutionary technology that champions Renault’s aspiration to become increasingly tech-specific within the automotives landscape. Now, all you need is a simple touch on the multimedia touchscreen and you’re done! It’s not magic, it’s just four easy letters: FOTA. Edouard, FOTA project manager and FOTA specialist, breaks down the ins and outs behind the technology that started out in smartphones and is now becoming an increasingly essential feature in automotives.

As cars become increasingly connected, they also become more agile and intuitive with each new generation. Like smartphones, the operating system that runs the car’s multimedia screen and instrument panel is equipped to receive regular updates. These include patches and improvements for the in-car entertainment system and sometimes even brand-new features. The Software Factory, an entity within #Renault Group that specializes in software engineering, has been seriously considering this issue. At the beginning of 2020, it rolled out Renault's FOTA project (Firmware-Over-The-Air) whereby #Renault Group vehicles can receive remote updates.

FOTA technology enables on-board software to receive updates and patches.

Edouard, FOTA Project Manager

Greater peace of mind...

FOTA technology is available on numerous vehicles in the #Renault line-up (Twingo, Clio, ZOE, Captur, Mégane...) via the Renault EASY-LINK multimedia system and makes it easier to improve the on-board operating system and install patches. It also helps to keep the vehicle's safety at the highest possible level. But that’s not all! With everything done remotely, car owners are no longer required to take their car into a dealership. This saves everyone a lot of time and gives car owners greater peace of mind. For car manufacturers, it means more vehicles will receive updates than previously when cars had to be seen by a technician. According to Edouard, “the new technology means 85% to 90% of vehicles will have up-to-date software, compared to the previous levels of 60%, at best, through our dealerships.”

Another advantage: the technology is extremely discrete; in fact, in most cases, it is totally invisible! The reason being that FOTA is literally ‘over the air’, via the GSM telephone network. In concrete terms, cars automatically download updates and when they are ready to be activated, “a message is displayed on the multimedia screen when the driver turns off the vehicle's ignition. He only has to accept and the update can be done while he is no longer in the vehicle," explains Edouard. In essence, the driver has nothing to do aside from accepting the update, which will, in some cases, immobilize the vehicle for a few minutes.

…and safety!

Edouard adds that, “one of the main aspects to remote updates is safety. It is a communication channel that must be protected in order to avoid data hacking” or even against the vehicle being taken over. FOTA technology for firmware updates on #Renault vehicles places great importance on vehicle owner privacy. It is fully compliant with EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This means that, whatever happens, data collected by the car is always kept anonymous. Drivers are never required to provide authentication.

Further information in the press release to download

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