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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

#171

Post by [deleted] »

entrox wrote: post #148
beerpls wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for being a voice of righteousness in a sea of simps. It’s hard to tell on this site, are people really this devoted to corps or are they shills? Even with what you said there are still so many people defending this behavior. The world is full of weak and/or deceitful people.

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.

[deleted]

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

#172

Post by karaterobot »

smnrchrds wrote: post #117
atlantic wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't like it, just don't buy cars whose performance is artificially limited. Let the market decide the issue.

It's curious that the market (almost?) always decides what is bad for the consumer and profitable for the companies. As a person who is a person not a company, I would rather we don't let the market decide so much about our lives. Examples: Smart (spying ad-showing) TVs, non-compete agreements, water heater rentals, not-really-unlimited "unlimited data" cell plans, surveillance economy, only-rentable-not-buyable soft…

> It's curious that the market (almost?) always decides what is bad for the consumer and profitable for the companies.

In some cases people choose things that are bad for them, for all kinds of reasons. Someone will always sell you a subscription to your own car, if you tell them you want one. The market is the mechanism, the responsibility lies with the consumer. I know that it feels like there's a conspiracy, but it's almost always just people getting what they say they'll pay for.

The best solution is for people to exercise good judgment. The nuclear option is to regulate what people can and cannot buy and sell. It's not to have that nuclear option on the table, and it is necessary sometimes, but it does not feel like this particular case is one when people cannot reasonably be expected to decide for themselves what they want, or have the power to exercise that decision. Nobody HAS to buy a Mercedes.

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

#173

Post by tantalor »

> available through an over-the-air software patch

The phrase "software patch" implies updating the code. I'd be really surprised if this sort of change required a code push. More likely the code is already there, and the "patch" is a data file changing some constant.

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

#174

Post by bluGill »

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.

Sure, but are you are farmer?

Suburbs can support great public transit, and it would be cheaper than cars for everyone.

Suburbs cannot support the bad public transport options they get though. The lack of density makes it harder to design a great network (network is critical here!), you cannot make mistakes as there is no density to save you from mistakes.

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

#175

Post by awb »

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?

Well, we do it in software where we charge higher monthly fees for uptime guarantees, more features, better performance, etc. And Xfinity does it with hardware where you pay extra per month for faster speeds over the same cable.

But in those scenarios, there is extra cost incurred by the company when you choose to upgrade.

In this scenario, when you upgrade there's no cost to the car manufacturer, so it feels wrong. In the most generous view, there will be slightly more wear and tear on the car at higher speeds and that they need to charge extra to cover the warranty on faster cars. In a more realistic view, it's a cash grab not only in terms of $720/y per customer, but also making it easier to up-sell future over-the-air subscriptions or purchases with your CC already on file.

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

#176

Post by bluGill »

Retric wrote: post #170
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.

A more powerful car is also more likely to break, and will wear out sooner.

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

#177

Post by matwood »

ernesth wrote: post #127
rrgok wrote: post #77

The next logical step is for CPU, in hardware you physically own, to have subscription that will unlock more cores. Imagine owning an Apple M2 device that requires an extra 30$ a month subscription to unlock 2 more cores. I hope I'm joking....

IBM has been doing it for years: they sell you a multi-core machine but you only can use 1 core. You can pay to use more than one as you need: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/power9?topic=environment-capacit...

Or software that you pay for per CPU core.

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

#178

Post by electriclove »

jrockway wrote: post #149
lcnPylGDnU4H9OF wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These complaints remind me of complaints I've heard about "day one" DLC (DownLoadable Content) in video games. For those unfamiliar, it's content which is available in the game upon its release but you have to pay extra for it. Sometimes, players are given the option to buy the Ultra Digital Deluxe Collector's Edition which comes with the DLC and "exclusive" shit (and also costs extra). If it's not rent seeking, it's…

Isn't this all the same thing as what airlines did after 9/11? You pay the fare and get a seat. Want it to not be a middle seat? That's $50. Want to carry on a bag? That's $50. Want to check a bag? That's $50. Want to check out the lounge before you depart? That's $50. Want some WiFi? That's $50. Want a snack? That's $50. Now your flight is $200 more than the quoted fare. (OK OK you can probably get WiFi and a snack…

People don’t love that about the airlines. People hate it.

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

#179

Post by lp0_on_fire »

jrockway wrote: post #149
lcnPylGDnU4H9OF wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These complaints remind me of complaints I've heard about "day one" DLC (DownLoadable Content) in video games. For those unfamiliar, it's content which is available in the game upon its release but you have to pay extra for it. Sometimes, players are given the option to buy the Ultra Digital Deluxe Collector's Edition which comes with the DLC and "exclusive" shit (and also costs extra). If it's not rent seeking, it's…

Isn't this all the same thing as what airlines did after 9/11? You pay the fare and get a seat. Want it to not be a middle seat? That's $50. Want to carry on a bag? That's $50. Want to check a bag? That's $50. Want to check out the lounge before you depart? That's $50. Want some WiFi? That's $50. Want a snack? That's $50. Now your flight is $200 more than the quoted fare. (OK OK you can probably get WiFi and a snack…

I don’t think that people -_love it_ or _fall for it_ per se. rather, people don’t have much of a choice but to accept it unless they can afford to fly private.

You can’t really fly and not take luggage with you, for example.

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

#180

Post by [deleted] »

entrox wrote: post #167
jwilber wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

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