Mustang Mach-E

Make
Ford
Segment
SUV

Vehicle control interfaces have changed dramatically over the last couple of years, with giant touchscreens taking the place of physical controls. Behind those screens, there is more computing power than most of us are aware of, and the next major evolution is the 'connected' vehicle. Like your computer or smartphone, your car can now be upgraded wirelessly. Ford has employed a new electric vehicle architecture on upcoming models like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 pickup to make this possible but up until now, we didn't know what the system was called.

Ali Jamoul, North America Engineering Director at Ford, shared at a media event that Ford has dubbed it the Fully Networked Vehicle, otherwise known as FNV.

Different versions of FNV will be utilized depending on the vehicle, but the new Mustang Mach-E and F-150 will be the first products to use it. The "fully networked" part of the name makes sense since over-the-air (OTA) updates will be possible with FNV. Months ago, Ford confirmed that the Mach-E's OTA updates will ensure that the crossover can be continually improved during its lifetime, with many of these upgrades - be it infotainment or performance-related - taking place while the vehicle is safely parked at home. When a new update becomes available, owners will be notified via their smartphones.

The Mustang Mach-E is expected to start arriving at dealerships in December, which will give us our first taste of a Ford vehicle running the FNV architecture. We already know that when the new F-150 arrives, it will be the only full-size truck to offer standard OTA updates, and this capability extends to every trim level, not just the pricier models. Across the industry, other automakers are also rolling out OTA-capable updates for many 2021 models, such as Land Rover with the latest Velar. With these new capabilities and architectures like FNV, you won't necessarily have to buy a new car to enjoy the latest available features.