Electric vehicle owners are more accepting of new approaches to OTA (over-the-air) software updates, remote maintenance, and new business models, a new survey from Aurora Labs found.
The company’s annual Automotive Software Survey, conducted with the analysis firm TechInsights, surveyed more than 200 experts worldwide from the automotive industry — including OEMs, tier ones, semiconductor vendors, and independent software vendors.
“Fifty-one per cent of EV owners stated that they were willing to pay $20 per month or more, compared with 38% of non-EV owners for vehicle services and features such as software downloads, 21% would even pay up to $50 a month,” said Aurora Labs in a news release. “It was also observed that 62% of EV owners stated that they preferred to download new features, compared with 48% for non-EV owners.”
Fifty per cent of EV owners expect vehicles to receive more than six OTA updates per year. The results of the survey suggest consumers are more open to new business models that could result in additional revenue streams for OEMs, through software sales.
It is also worth noting that paying for features after the point-of-sale proved more popular in 2023, helped by more enthusiasm from EV owners and a greater preference to download new features.
“This year’s fourth annual Automotive Software Survey highlighted an industry that is still very much undergoing rapid change, but which is starting to see the way forward with the OEM’s clear focus on implementing new E/E architectures and internal processes for the EVs,” said Roger Ordman, EVP Marketing & Business Development at Aurora Labs, in a statement.
