New Toyota car owners will need to pay a $8/mo so their key fob can remote-start their car. Cars before 2018 are excluded, because their internal 3G networks are about to go offline, disabling Toyota's remote control. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/12/toyota-owners-have-to-pay-8-mo-to-keep-using-their-key-fob-for-remote-start/
Every car maker is looking for ways to turn a one-time car purchase into a subscription, because technology now grants them remote control of your car. I wrote more about this phenomenon here: https://puri.sm/posts/locked-in-a-remote-control-car/
Thought experiment: what would a car maker need to be able to do to your car remotely, before you no longer felt that you owned it?
@kyle I am so torn. I feel like one of the plug-in hybrids is the responsible choice, but HELL NO I don’t want someone else in control of my car. It’s mine or it isn’t, screw subscriptions.
@Stacky My hope is that by the time I do need to get a different car, either the current situation w/ remote control will improve, or else there will be more off-the-shelf EV conversion kits available for older cars.
@Stacky There's also an ecological argument to be made for refurbishing and converting existing gasoline cars where the environmental cost of making them has already been spent, instead of throwing them away in favor of spending that cost to make a new car.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a38140495/ford-f-100-eluminator-concept-revealed/
Still quite a bit of work to go from that to "privacy respecting electric vehicle", but it's a good start.
@moparisthebest @Stacky I wonder how much telemetry and phoning home (if any) is included in that kit.
https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-9000-MACHE
@moparisthebest @kyle I’m not ready for full electric yet, when I have to drive 330 miles (6 hours) to visit family, no way I’m adding 2 hours to the trip to re-charge half way through. And said family lives in extreme urban neighborhood, no place to change, no guarantee I can park on the same block and run an extension cord
@moparisthebest @kyle hello, how can I subscribe to your newsletter!!
@moparisthebest @kyle we are keeping an eye on the drop in kit for wranglers. Husband is *very* interested in converting his 2016
@kyle apply software updates without your approval, remotely locking the car without your ability to opt out, sending telemetry without your approval
@michel_slm There are current cars on the market that can do all three.
@kyle oh I know. I'm thinking of one in particular from a company owned by an egomaniac
I was about to post https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/12/toyota-owners-have-to-pay-8-mo-to-keep-using-their-key-fob-for-remote-start/
...but I now see that's what started your thought experiment
@kyle anything at all.
@kyle I would generalize that to all businesses, easily.
I'm so glad my vehicles are in good shape, and from before this era of always-on networks and remote control. If I needed a car, I wouldn't buy a new one.