• 17 Posts
  • 313 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 6th, 2023

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  • Possibly, but these technology are a decade old, their product roadmaps still look very robust, and a lot of drivers actually base new purchase decisions on that feature’s availability.

    IMHO, it’s low risk, and if it does get killed, oh well. Voice control and a dash mounted phone isn’t the total end of the world.


  • I can speak for Volvo and Audi’s platforms over the past 5-10 years. I spent a lot of times using those. They’re connected up the wazoo, but they also work just fine if you stop paying for cloud connectivity or get into a remote area.

    You basically lose access to advanced maps, streaming apps, and being able to remotely control / monitor your car with your phone.

    When I briefly looked at a Telsa, it looked like those things were kind of in a similar boat. Biggest problem with Tesla is that, since they don’t support CarPlay or Android Auto, you -need- a cloud subscription if you want streaming apps and maps. Other cars can pipe that into the center console through Apple or Google’s projection systems.


  • People stop paying for smart car’s online services all the time.

    You typically lose access maps or only get basic offline maps without traffic and charging stations listed. You also lose the ability to use streaming apps, the ability to remotely control locks, windows, cameras and climate from your phone, stolen vehicle tracking, alarm notifications, etc.

    But if you have CarPlay / Android auto, the good maps and streaming apps can be pumped in from your phone.



  • To be fair, Fiskers are likely to brick themselves and the company is still alive. They have some of the worst software in the auto industry.

    That said, my point is that a lot of “smart” cars are designed work just fine offline. Being offline is common in rural areas and or when the driver decided to stop paying for mobile connectivity.

    I’ve done the latter with a couple cars. You lose the ability to download new maps, see traffic, install updated streaming apps, and or remotely control climate / windows / locks with your phone. But I use my phone for music maps, and I don’t really care about unlocking the car with my phone.