"When EV startups shut down, will their cars still work?" - article

[Tooney]

• Chinese EV owners are losing access to smartphone app updates and driving features when companies go bust.
• Chinese drivers’ frustrations point to the broader risks of “smartphones on wheels,” where reliability is contingent upon software maintenance and updates.
• Beijing has rolled out new EV subsidies to help keep struggling companies afloat.

When one of China’s once-popular electric vehicle startups went bust, car owners encountered an unexpected problem: Their vehicles went “offline.”

Richard Qian didn’t know what to expect when he heard that WM Motor, a Shanghai-based EV maker popular for its low prices, filed for bankruptcy in October 2023. He tried to drive his compact EX5 SUV as he normally would, but discovered that he could no longer log into WM Motor’s smartphone app, which remotely controlled the car lock and air conditioner. He also couldn’t see his car’s mileage and charging status on the dashboard.

Qian was not alone. Other WM Motor owners reported that the smartphone app was unusable, and the built-in car stereo, which required an internet connection, had stopped working.
. . .
As Chinese car owners brace for further consolidation of the country’s hypercompetitive EV market, the fact that many electric cars rely on cloud services — from smartphone controls to software updates — has raised concerns about the long-term serviceability of the vehicles.
https://restofworld.org/2024/ev-company-shutdowns-china/

 

[chun]

Porsche owners don't have to worry about that. Our PCM software and app barely work as is. Turning them off completely won't even be a big downgrade.

 

[anonymouse]

This an example of a broader problem that we lack standards and regulation covering the longevity of cloud/server/IoT devices.

I had an interesting Tim recently with a solar system “guaranteed for 25 years“ - I asked the supplier if this meant the control system was guaranteed to work on all successors to the iPhone or if it had a shorter lifetime. No customer had ever asked.

Meanwhile my two vacuum robots appear to had a near fatal scrape as the company running the servers went bust. The acquiring company has committed to run the servers for a small number of years. After that presumably the product loses 90% of its utility.

 

[bn8959]

I always find it interesting when companies sell products for a one-time purchase cost, but the product relies on cloud services, or external device support (eg smartphones). There rarely are commitments as to how long they will work for - and clearly no guarantees if the company goes bankrupt. There is a lot of risk in this model for both the the supplier and customer. The supplier has to bear the cost for supplying the ongoing service, with potentially no revenue to back it up - all is fine while they are selling more products!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

We recently had this concern with the Andersen charger. Fortunately it was bought out and they have kept the cloud services running. Otherwise accessing some of its features would have become impossible.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

At least they don’t suck at software.

(yes, dripping with /sarcasm)