There are a lot of reports even from Germany as to why the Volkswagen ID.3 release has been delayed. Most seem unclear and doesn’t reveal the entire reason. However, one major theme has behind most reports is that it has something to do with the car’s software.
This idea may not be farther from the truth as most automobile companies have quickly begun to realize the ever-increasing importance of software in the industry. A testament to this is the increasing market share of Elon Musk’s Tesla, with the company now having a significantly higher market cap than any other automobile company excluding Toyota. Tesla’s success has been due to software innovations in her automobiles. However, even the “almighty” Tesla has had its share of software problems, with Tesla owner and one of the leading pioneers of technology in the world, Elon Musk, once saying that software is hard, and finding great software engineers is a big challenge.
This concession from Elon Musk speaks a lot about the shortage of Software engineers, especially in the automobile industry. Tesla once had a similar software issue regarding the initial release of the Tesla Model3s, when it was first released, most of the product’s software features were not functional, and even now that it has resolved, the majority of such shortcomings, there are still many features that have been promised to be added that haven't been included into the model’s software.
The reports on the Volkswagen’s delay in launching the ID.3, have not been entirely encouraging: some outlets have suggested that the software is not working, while other credible sources from Germany are even claiming that the company’s 8th generation Golf, was also having major software problems, this might be hard to dispute as the Automobile company had to stop delivering the Golf until the issue was sorted out, with the company admitting that the Golf ‘could have a non-reliable data transmission of the software’ on the control unit of the emergency call function.
However, when you consider the complaints from Elon Musk, you have to wonder if the reports constantly citing the company’s software issues might be a little bit overblown or exaggerated. Credit also has to be given to Volkswagen as the company is already taking major steps to improve its software capabilities, with the company citing that by 2025, it plans to start developing 60% of its software. Which is a massive leap as this was previously estimated to be around 10%?
No one has a full view of the reason behind the delay in the release of the ID.3, some have suggested that there might be a basic version released, with better features on the software to be released on an upgraded version of the car's software. As we anticipate the release of the product, we can only answer as many questions based on the various information we can get.
https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/Volkswagen
https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/volkswagen-emissions-scandal