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Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

cnn.com

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Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#11

Post by alpos »

beebmam wrote: post #8
jackmott42 wrote: post #3

There is a sense in which this can make sense, in that unlocking the power increases the chance of failure during warranty. So you pay to hedge against that. But we can be certain car makers will not be giving you the option to unlock this for free post warranty. The fact that you aren't given control of your car when you own it is pretty awful and a terrible trend. I expect the trend will continue, I've not yet in m…

Aren't max speeds limited all the time on vehicles, with state mandated governors? I know some countries require them on all automobiles. Even the US requires them on ebikes.

Speed? yes. Acceleration? Not so much.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#13

Post by schaefer »

verdverm wrote: post #10
foobarbecue wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The communist / capitalist symmetry is quite something. In communism, the individual doesn't really own anything; the state just lets the individual use things as they see fit. In our late-stage capitalism, the individual doesn't really own anything; the corporation just lets the individual use things as they see fit.

I would not extrapolate a trend into a permanent change. Trends have a way of being fads or reversed

Are you calling streaming media like Spotify a trend? What was the last time you bought an album?

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#14

Post by alpos »

foobarbecue wrote: post #7
jackmott42 wrote: post #3

There is a sense in which this can make sense, in that unlocking the power increases the chance of failure during warranty. So you pay to hedge against that. But we can be certain car makers will not be giving you the option to unlock this for free post warranty. The fact that you aren't given control of your car when you own it is pretty awful and a terrible trend. I expect the trend will continue, I've not yet in m…

The communist / capitalist symmetry is quite something. In communism, the individual doesn't really own anything; the state just lets the individual use things as they see fit. In our late-stage capitalism, the individual doesn't really own anything; the corporation just lets the individual use things as they see fit.

I keep trying to tell the socialists and communists out there that they can totally implement the way they want to live within any democratic capitalist system.

Just make a corporation which all of your people are members of, give voting powers to all members to decide what stuff the corporation buys as well as how members get to use the things. Can even go as far as setting up an HOA or a town where the company is the landlord for everyone or has right of first refusal in every property in that area. Once you have enough people to make some stuff on your own, the company call sell that stuff and that's the only touch point you all have to have with the capitalist economy. With time the members you have, the more stuff you can make yourselves, and the less stuff you company has to sell or buy. Eventually you're totally self-sufficient, don't make transactions, and therefore don't really pay taxes either.

They usually don't go for it because they are not really bothered that they can't live the way they want to so much as they are bothered that other people might still live under capitalism.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#15

Post by alpos »

schaefer wrote: post #13
verdverm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would not extrapolate a trend into a permanent change. Trends have a way of being fads or reversed

Are you calling streaming media like Spotify a trend? What was the last time you bought an album?

Some time well before torrents were a thing? Music became essentially free long before it become a thing people rent.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#16

Post by 2rsf »

jackmott42 wrote: post #3

There is a sense in which this can make sense, in that unlocking the power increases the chance of failure during warranty. So you pay to hedge against that. But we can be certain car makers will not be giving you the option to unlock this for free post warranty. The fact that you aren't given control of your car when you own it is pretty awful and a terrible trend. I expect the trend will continue, I've not yet in m…

It's not just warranty but also legal liability and this extends beyond the warranty period

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#17

Post by 2rsf »

GiorgioG wrote: post #2

It won’t be my interest in saving the planet that stops me from buying cars, it’ll be bullshit like this. I want to own my car. I don’t want it to be connected (beyond acting as a hotspot) to the internet or to some central service. Have we not learned anything?

Don't you want software upgrades? cars are loaded with technology, some of it is for "fun" like navigation of music services, but a lot if for safety reasons and this requires frequent updating.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#18

Post by zamnos »

beebmam wrote: post #8
jackmott42 wrote: post #3

There is a sense in which this can make sense, in that unlocking the power increases the chance of failure during warranty. So you pay to hedge against that. But we can be certain car makers will not be giving you the option to unlock this for free post warranty. The fact that you aren't given control of your car when you own it is pretty awful and a terrible trend. I expect the trend will continue, I've not yet in m…

Aren't max speeds limited all the time on vehicles, with state mandated governors? I know some countries require them on all automobiles. Even the US requires them on ebikes.

Not on cars in the US, no.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#19

Post by FredPret »

GiorgioG wrote: post #2

It won’t be my interest in saving the planet that stops me from buying cars, it’ll be bullshit like this. I want to own my car. I don’t want it to be connected (beyond acting as a hotspot) to the internet or to some central service. Have we not learned anything?

We tech folk may have learnt the lesson the hard way, but for the non-tech population the lesson is still coming.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#20

Post by zamnos »

jackmott42 wrote: post #3

There is a sense in which this can make sense, in that unlocking the power increases the chance of failure during warranty. So you pay to hedge against that. But we can be certain car makers will not be giving you the option to unlock this for free post warranty. The fact that you aren't given control of your car when you own it is pretty awful and a terrible trend. I expect the trend will continue, I've not yet in m…

At one point, the BMW M3 had a "launch" mode, which enabled a couple of bits to get the bragged about 0-60 time. The car computer also kept track of how many times it was used, and your warranty expired after 10 launches.
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