Photo: Skoda
In December 2020, Volkswagen started delivering ID.3 units with software that allowed over-the-air (OTA) updates. This first one came only after March 2022, when ID. Software 3.0 started being installed in Volkswagen vehicles. Skoda took a lot more time to achieve OTA updates and get the software that allowed them. The Czech brand calls it ME3, and it will only be readily available in new vehicles. Used ones will have to get it at dealerships.
ME3 brings the same improvements as the ID. Software 3.0 has offered Volkswagen EVs since March. The maximum charging speed is now 135 kW for 77-kWh battery packs (82-kWh with the buffer). The 62-kWh battery pack gets a top rate of 120 kW. That is possible thanks to a new battery pack thermal management system. Among other features, it only allows an 80% charge when the EV is fast-charged multiple times.
When Volkswagen announced the changes, it said it had “a smart e-router planner.” Skoda did not even mention it, only in the images it released to talk about the ME3. In these images, it says the software has a “Better Route Planner.” We are not sure if Skoda is praising its new system or clearly stating it now adopted A Better Route Planner (ABRP), a leading website and software for EV owners to have easier road trips. A video Skoda published seems to confirm the latter.
Skoda also speaks about ameliorating the Digital Cockpit, head-up display, and human-machine interface (HMI). The only thing we are missing among the things Volkswagen announced back in march is the Park Assist Plus feature. Either it is something Skoda does not offer or an improvement the Czech brand is saving for its first OTA update. All Enyaq iV and Enyaq Coupe iV with ME3 will be prepared for them.
The ME3 requires five hours to be installed. That can only be made at a Skoda dealer for older vehicles. The ones delivered starting now will already come with the new software. Why the Volkswagen Group decided to released ME3 so many months after the ID. Software 3.0 was released is a complete mystery.
It may be due to Continental’s capacity to handle OTA updates with the high-performance computer (HPC) the supplier developed to help Volkswagen cope with them. Perhaps it was an issue with CARIAD. Rumor has it that the German carmaker has ended Herbert Diess’ contract to be its CEO due to software issues. Skoda getting to the OTA update game only now may help connect these dots.
When Volkswagen announced the changes, it said it had “a smart e-router planner.” Skoda did not even mention it, only in the images it released to talk about the ME3. In these images, it says the software has a “Better Route Planner.” We are not sure if Skoda is praising its new system or clearly stating it now adopted A Better Route Planner (ABRP), a leading website and software for EV owners to have easier road trips. A video Skoda published seems to confirm the latter.
Skoda also speaks about ameliorating the Digital Cockpit, head-up display, and human-machine interface (HMI). The only thing we are missing among the things Volkswagen announced back in march is the Park Assist Plus feature. Either it is something Skoda does not offer or an improvement the Czech brand is saving for its first OTA update. All Enyaq iV and Enyaq Coupe iV with ME3 will be prepared for them.
The ME3 requires five hours to be installed. That can only be made at a Skoda dealer for older vehicles. The ones delivered starting now will already come with the new software. Why the Volkswagen Group decided to released ME3 so many months after the ID. Software 3.0 was released is a complete mystery.
It may be due to Continental’s capacity to handle OTA updates with the high-performance computer (HPC) the supplier developed to help Volkswagen cope with them. Perhaps it was an issue with CARIAD. Rumor has it that the German carmaker has ended Herbert Diess’ contract to be its CEO due to software issues. Skoda getting to the OTA update game only now may help connect these dots.
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