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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

#161

Post by jtbayly »

ddalex wrote: post #153
horsawlarway wrote: post #38

I want to see this legislated out of existence. To be clear, because every time this comes up some dickfucks come in here and start making excuses about how it's better to rent in some cases and that this is just amortizing the whole payment, and there are some people who want this: No. This is a fucking terrible deal even just using mercedes numbers. It takes a whopping 30 months (2.5 years) for the monthly payment…

> at literally no cost or effort. But somebody designed, implemented and tested (presumably) the feature of remote enabling functionality for money, manages the subscription and payment systems, real time communications to the fleet of cars, etc.... that costs a lot of money and effort, doesn't come for free.

It’s only purpose is literally to enable this rent-seeking, though.

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

#163

Post by timeon »

notnotjake wrote: post #102
foxyv wrote: post #100

The best EV is an electric bus with trolley lines or a tram. I hate that I have to own a monstrous depreciating asset to have reliable transportation. If you think people are buying this to drive on a track you are naive. They are paying $60/month to make their already unsafe overweight vehicle even more unsafe. I hope they go bankrupt.

tram will never come to the farm land. cars seem useful in low-density, very spread out regions.

Most people are not farmers.

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

#164

Post by boston_clone »

fwungy wrote: post #124
barbazoo wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The "you will own nothing" advocates will continue to keep pushing for stuff like this. Who are these "advocates"?

The original phrase was coined by the World Economic Forum. What the critics leave out is that the WEF was saying that people would be happier not owning anything. >You will own nothing and you will be happy. Alternatively it could have a darker interpretation: you will be a slave and you will be happy, because that's all you're going to get. I suppose it depends if you look at the WEF as a benevolent institution loo…

Easily fact-checked:

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-wef-idUSKBN2AP2...

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

#165

Post by oblib »

I grew up around cars, and car builders. I've worked on quite a few very famous cars. My father built custom cars and ran "Barris Kustom" for years. I learned how to build custom cars, including race cars.

I also spent years designing and building cars (vans) that quadriplegics could drive and lots of those were for guys who crashed, or got ran into by cars/motorcycle, at high speeds.

Personally, I think if anyone crashes a car that they were paying a fee to a car company to make their car go that fast that car company should be held accountable and libel for any and all damages and deaths that occur from that.

I'm sure others would disagree, but I don't care. Odds are they've never spent any time at all working with those who were paralyzed because some dumbass smashed into them at high speeds.

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

#166

Post by chimen »

Literally everything I buy on the internet has features unlocked by higher payment plans (Netflix, hosting, ahrefs etc). I don't get the big deal about it. For one, I am happy I can upgrade my car without any mechanical interventions. You get what you pay for when you buy your car. It's their business if it's limited down to meet your package or not. Did they deliver anything else from what you paid for? If the answer is yes then we have a problem. If the answer is No then I don't see the issue. A more powerful car is usually more expensive, always has been.

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

#167

Post by entrox »

jwilber wrote: post #155
entrox wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Take a look at the profit margin (and market valuation) of automotive companies and compare them to tech companies. Now also make a comparison of average developer/engineer salaries at both. Is it not OK for the automotive folks to get to the same level as their FAANG brethren? Disclaimer: I work for an automotive OEM.

You’re completely ignoring the customer (people like you) in favor of the (already mega rich) corporations. What a mindset.

> You’re completely ignoring the customer (people like you) in favor of the (already mega rich) corporations. What a mindset.

No, I want the company I work for to have similar profit margins as FAANG and thus increase my compensation. Do you also attack those employees because their companies are charging extra for pure software unlocks or subscriptions?

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

#168

Post by tantalor »

bilsbie wrote: post #162

I can’t seem to express what’s wrong with this but it just feels very wrong. Anyone know how to succinctly explain why it’s so bad?

It's not really "your car" if the manufacturer can flip some flag remotely that you aren't allowed to touch.

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

#169

Post by r00fus »

sleepybrett wrote: post #157
ajross wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can you get better performance from your Mercedes EV through another provider? No? No, but you can sell it and buy a Tesla. Having more features is just "selling a better product". By that standard any optional feature on a market-leading product is "rent-seeking", and that's silly. Is the App Store rent seeking? Is selling junk on Fortnite rent seeking? No, that's just "selling products". Rent seeking is a specifi…

Tesla does the same fucking thing.

One of the reasons I didn't buy a Tesla. Though to be clear with Tesla it's not a never-ending sub, it's a flat fee and transferrable.

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

#170

Post by Retric »

chimen wrote: post #166

Literally everything I buy on the internet has features unlocked by higher payment plans (Netflix, hosting, ahrefs etc). I don't get the big deal about it. For one, I am happy I can upgrade my car without any mechanical interventions. You get what you pay for when you buy your car. It's their business if it's limited down to meet your package or not. Did they deliver anything else from what you paid for? If the answe…

Cars need to physically move equipment so the option to have software unlocks comes with a significant fuel etc costs over the lifetime of a vehicle.

It’s not even just a bad deal for the owner, such deadweight has real environmental and safety consequences for everyone.

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