Paying to enable software and hardware already in your car is already well over a decade old. My 04 Saab and 02 Volvo both already have this "feature".
Paying to enable software and hardware already in your car is already well over a decade old. My 04 Saab and 02 Volvo both already have this "feature".
Mike wrote: In reply to revrico: Pretty sure EVs offer what I think you're talking about already. Since full charges are rough on battery, most have an 80% long battery life charging setting and a 100% max range charging setting.
I'm thinking this is definitely a possibility with the Tesla. If I remember right, doesn't the Prius keep its battery charged between 40-60% capacity in order to make it last a lot longer?
Yep, the Prius and some other hybrids only use a narrow range of battery charge to maximize battery life.
GameboyRMH wrote: It was only a matter of time until some auto manufacturer made you pay money to flip a bit in your car and enable a feature which it had the hardware for the entire time. Tesla did it first: https://www.engadget.com/2016/06/09/tesla-model-s-60-60d-returns/ The new Model S has a bigger battery, but range and performance will be artificially limited to less than the battery can support unless you pay money to remove the artificial limitation. This is the equivalent of selling an ICE car with a rev limiter set below peak power and a fuel cutoff that activates at 1/4 tank unless you pay money to remove these limits. Tesla's doing interesting things with automotive hardware but I really don't like them as a company...first they try to limit access to replacement parts and repair manuals, and now this. They're way too much like Apple. Edit: Mods, feel free to fix the typo in the title.
MOST new cars have everything in the modules and just enabled/disabled as necessary. Putting remote start in most newer GMs is a module reflash, no hardware. And there are many deep lists of VWAG adaptation codes to enable/disable various features.
If you want something to crab about with respect to Tesla, try to find service information for one.
Get used to it. With mandatory back up cameras/screens the difference between the base stereo and the good stereo with nav will be purely turning it on. This sort of thing is pure profit so I would expect automakers to latch onto it hard. As noted, GM has been doing this for a while. My Silverado has the fancy display above the column with pages and pages of info. Lower trucks had the same buttons and same screen but very limited info. All of the hardware was there but they charged you several hundred dollars for the privilege of viewing it.
Ford has been doing something very simialr to this regarding cruise control on all E-throttle engines. The cruise is entirely in the ECU, the only difference is whether ot not you have a steeing wheel with the control buttons and the feature "turned on" in the ECU. Base model Focus came without control? No problem, just purchase this here $400 steering wheel and pay a dealer to install it and turn the feature on.
I feel one difference with the Tesla example is on my other cars I can flash the chip or whatever and it will stay that way. If I flash the Tesla, would it revert back on it's next pushed update? Would I lose all future updates and functionality because the system got hacked?
DCMA from tractors ruled along the line that constraining that code was not in the consumers interest. How far will Musk push that?
More info has come out:
https://www.wired.com/2016/06/teslas-plan-rule-auto-industry-app-purchases/
Tesla is artificially locking you out of 20% of the battery capacity and charging you $9k to unlock it 
You can buy the limited model for cheaper though...if you can hack the car and unlock the capacity yourself, you could save yourself almost the cost of a new Japanese sportbike...
The Mopar computer upgrades for the SRT4 Neon worked in a similar fashion. These used a torque request style ECU, and the upgrades simply allowed you to request more torque. The ECU would adjust timing, boost, and throttle settings to hit the higher targets.
MadScientistMatt wrote: The Mopar computer upgrades for the SRT4 Neon worked in a similar fashion. These used a torque request style ECU, and the upgrades simply allowed you to request more torque. The ECU would adjust timing, boost, and throttle settings to hit the higher targets.
The more I think about this, the more I am OK with this (and the GM LNF tune mentioned above). When you pay an extra $500 or $1k or whatever to gain the extra 40hp, its helping the manufacturer cover the additional warranty risk of you grenading your engine. So, while they really haven't done any more work, the cost is still justified.
The battery thing still bugs me though.
Mazda had a bunch of hidden options in the stereo for fuel readouts and stuff as far back as 2005
In reply to mndsm:
My '02 Volvo has that, too. Although IIRC it's in the owner's manual.
I felt like an Inner Party Member when I found the secret code for turning off daytime running lights.
mazdeuce wrote: Get used to it. With mandatory back up cameras/screens the difference between the base stereo and the good stereo with nav will be purely turning it on. This sort of thing is pure profit so I would expect automakers to latch onto it hard. As noted, GM has been doing this for a while. My Silverado has the fancy display above the column with pages and pages of info. Lower trucks had the same buttons and same screen but very limited info. All of the hardware was there but they charged you several hundred dollars for the privilege of viewing it.
It's probably not just pure profit on the carmakers' side with Nav, though. They are probably paying a per unit licensing fee to Garmin, TomTom, or some other map/direction supplier. If the feature is disabled, that's one less expense for them.
Knurled wrote: In reply to mndsm: My '02 Volvo has that, too. Although IIRC it's in the owner's manual. I felt like an Inner Party Member when I found the secret code for turning off daytime running lights.
Yeah, the guys that did the hack on the mazdas felt like god.
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