Summary
- Volkswagen has begun offering an optional ‘motor power upgrade’ for its ID.3 electric vehicle (EV).
- Customers in the UK can pay either £16.50 a month, £165 a year, or a one-off fee of £649 to unlock more power from the vehicle’s electric motor.
- While only a 10kW power increase is reportedly noticeable, the fee to unlock the extra power has been criticised.
- Volkswagen and other carmakers have increasingly been turning to the recurring revenue model for extra income.
- Though others, such as BMW and Mercedes, have been criticised for offering subscriptions to features that used to be included as standard.
- Such as heated seats and acceleration.
- Subscription services have also been attacked for potentially opening a vehicle up to hackers if the subscription service ends up shut down.
- But carmakers have responded by saying that all safety-critical systems will continue to be enabled even if the subscription service is not renewed.
By Maya Posch
Original Article