In the future, car owners will be able to enhance their car's security, intelligence, and performance without getting up from the sofa. Updating their car's software will be as simple as updating apps on their smartphones today. A swipe of the smartphone will be enough to automatically update vehicle software or to download new functions directly from the cloud - without any need to visit the repair shop.

Bosch has developed all the features required for these wireless updates in-house. They range from the control units and in-car communication infrastructure to modern encryption technologies and the Bosch IoT cloud. Secure, fast, and simple - that's how over-the-air software updates work. On the driver's smartphone or the car's infotainment system, the online security updates are started and any new functions that need to be downloaded are selected.

This information is sent to the cloud, which acts like a kind of app store, holding the updates in readiness and starting the process of downloading software to the vehicle. The data can either be downloaded in the background while the car is moving, or overnight when it is parked in its garage. As soon as the vehicle is in a secure condition (once it has parked, for example), the software updates are installed on the appropriate control units, where they are immediately activated.