The next big software upgrade isn’t your computer or phone — it’s your car

Today’s vehicles heavily rely on software — software that allows vehicles to park themselves, determine when to brake to help avoid accidents, and maximize fuel savings. While software plays instrumental roles in a vehicle’s performance, drivers in the past have had limited ability to access, personalize, and upgrade that software themselves.

But this soon will change. With the introduction of Ultifi*, which launches in 2023 on select products and will expand over the coming years. General Motors (GM) will reshape vehicle ownership and put added control of a vehicle’s performance, enhancements, and personalization into a driver’s hands. This advancement means that vehicles can continuously benefit from newly released software and apps, and it creates the opportunity for higher levels of innovation.

GM is changing how drivers will own, personalize, and maintain their vehicles. Drivers may still buy a vehicle tailored to their needs around space and capability, but every Ultifi-enabled vehicle will offer personalization that can continue to evolve over time. That personalization can follow a customer between Ultifi-enabled vehicles with user profiles, like how a streaming service knows which episode you want to watch across different devices.

Guided by the wants and needs of its customers, GM is helping architect the future of personalized mobility, while collaborating with recognized software leaders to make it as developer-friendly as possible. GM will work with Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, to grow the Ultifi’s future capabilities and access into vehicle systems by leveraging the Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System. The Linux-based platform supports software-driven technologies that can continuously transform and enhance vehicles.

Ultifi is an end-to-end software platform that allows for faster, easier vehicle software updates. Vehicle owners will be able to access new vehicle features, apps, and content, which are delivered over the air. “Essentially, with Ultifi, we will provide new updates, new upgrades, new features, and new content to consumers, so their vehicle ownership experience remains fresh,” explains Sushama Mithapally, Ultifi Engineering Group Manager.

Consumers have come to expect smart devices to come with the latest apps and updates; that mindset applies to cars now, too. Ultifi unlocks a vast range of potential updates. GM vehicle owners can access personalization options — dashboard themes, driver assistance capabilities, and infotainment features — to make their vehicles one of a kind. And developers can deliver unique customer experiences by connecting the many sensors, cameras, screens, and other systems through creative software solutions. Imagine software engineers being able to offer owners horsepower, or use a rain sensor to automatically close windows, through simple coding.

Ultifi simplifies the application development process so that drivers can enjoy the newest technology developed at a rapid pace. “With Ultifi, an application developer can add multiple types of functionalities and performance-related aspects and create a new application in a week’s time frame,” explains Mithapally. “Now you’re going from years to weeks from a development perspective, because this functionality is available to the application developers. And the consumers can get better and newer applications as they need for their lifestyle.”

According to research from IHS Markit, in 2021, the average age of light vehicles (like cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs) in operation throughout the United States increased to 12.1 years. As the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in supply chain issues, limited vehicle inventory, and increased vehicle prices, drivers have begun to use their vehicles for longer periods of time.

Continuously updating software in vehicles may shift car ownership in the future. In the past, before vehicle software was the norm, cars had limited updatability: The technology inside was never as cutting-edge as when they were driven off the lot. But in the future — Ultifi is set to launch in 2023 — drivers who want to keep their vehicles for longer periods of time will be able to add new content after the initial purchase. Since vehicle owners can quickly update their vehicles from home, the process of updating a vehicle is also easier. Enhancements available with Ultifi could include alerts about hazards and changing road conditions, or the ability to adjust vehicle settings for teen drivers when they enter school zones.

Ultifi will also give vehicle owners the ability to personalize their vehicles. In addition to more challenging hardware changes — custom wheels, or engine parts — to make a vehicle unique, drivers could choose apps and software to personalize their vehicle’s performance and displays in the ways they desire through the push of a button. After all, a driver who uses their pickup truck for off-roading and a driver who uses theirs to take their kids to school each day will have different needs and wants for their vehicles.

As technology plays an increasing role in vehicle functionality, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Mithapally explains that GM focuses heavily on cybersecurity and has a dedicated cybersecurity department. “When we develop software, we have to meet cybersecurity requirements even before it goes through quality assurance or validation,” she says. “We bring in cybersecurity reviews earlier in our development cycle.” She notes that in addition to the cybersecurity precautions integrated within the software development, vehicle owners will play a role in protecting their vehicles. “As an owner, just like with our personal devices at home, we have to take care of using secure passwords. I think everybody has to play a part in cybersecurity,” she says.

While Ultifi is an in-house platform, it supports innovation from third-party developers. Ultifi is built on the widely-used open-source Linux platform. “If somebody is used to developing in that open-source type of environment, they will find it very easy to do development with Ultifi,” explains Mithapally.

GM hosted a hackathon to determine what new developers could potentially bring to Ultifi, with exciting results. During the hackathon, GM opened up the Ultifi platform to internal developers within the company. Though the developers were unfamiliar with the inner workings of Ultifi, they received the same information that GM will eventually offer to third-party developers. “They developed ideas and applications within 48 hours of the hackathon that were mind-blowing,” Mithapally says.

GM plans to give authorized third-party developers access to Ultifi to create apps for customers, broadening the talent pool and the innovation behind the platform. “You don’t have to be a college graduate or a professional,” says Mithapally, noting that even high school students are developing apps. “I feel like the potential with Ultifi is limitless.”

*Ultifi is in pre-production and subject to change. Availability will vary by model.