Thank you no, I would like a finished vehicle

Anyone who buys a modern, chic, smart electric car nowadays usually gets one thing: a promise. A promise for software updates, a promise that the manufacturer will import changes to the operating system in the future if necessary. Am I the only one who is going against the grain of this update mentality?

Over-the-air updates is the keyword that is currently moving the automotive world alongside electric drives and autonomous driving. What is meant by that: Modern cars are Connected online to the manufacturer, who can distribute updates “through the air” – nice idea, after all, you don’t need to go to the authorized workshop with minor quirks. But you can’t just make the online updates in the car so appealing to me – and there are two main reasons for that.

Reason 1: I would like a finished car

I know that the diligence of the manufacturers should in all probability ensure that cars are only brought onto the market when the software is also mature. VW, for example, assures this in the documents for the most recent Innovation Talk. Bug fixes are also part of it, and no company can completely rule out software bugs.

Still, the update promise in advance the stale aftertaste of the unfinished. I’m not particularly fond of half-cooked breakfast eggs either. When it comes to newly released Android smartphones or installing the latest macOS on the MacBook, the following rule of thumb also applies: Better to wait first until the first ailments have subsided, the fixes are ready and show that they are working.

I will probably do the same when buying a car in the future. I don’t want to bother with the teething troubles. That’s why I say: Thank you, no! Important to note: This problem is not only faced by e-cars. Software has long been an integral part of many vehicles, with the exception of classic cars. In comparison to you, it is an advantage not to have to go for repairs so that someone can just import fresh code. And the fresh code accompanies us to my second point of criticism:

Reason 2: I don’t want to be talked into by car manufacturers’ subscriptions

Subscriptions, subscriptions, subscriptions everywhere, accompanied by term contracts, usage fees, etc. Not long and that too Automakers are doing that in a big way Discover the subscription business model for yourself. It all started at Ford, and VW has also announced its plans. They all follow Tesla, because we have known not just since Bitcoin: practically everyone goes where Elon Musk is going – and for some there is money to be made there.

Other automakers will do the same: The necessary improvements to the operating system will be given to car owners free of charge, it can be assumed. For everything else that can be monetized there will be costs for us. Advanced driver assistance systems, for example, or multimedia offers for the break, special software bundles for more range in the electric car or more power – everything is already being planned.

It is a fact that there is a lot of software in current e-cars. in the Video On the other hand, you will find five misconceptions about electric cars that are not true:

For this, the cars are – unfortunately it has to be said so drastically – before they are sold artificially crippled. Because everything that can be activated over the air using software is already built into the car. But you can’t use it without paying for it. A sports car with the virtual handbrake on – I lose the fun at the thought.

Not least when I imagine the cost of it. Maybe I’m the exception here. But I like to have low monthly fixed costs. Pay for a car with a subscription and for (almost) every extra thing the monthly price is increased a bit? I say: thank you, no!

Note: The opinions expressed in this article are solely the views of the author and are not necessarily the position of the entire GIGA editorial team.