Caution friend driver! That is the message indirectly sent by New Jersey lawmakers to drivers in this northeastern region of the country. And it is that on September 22 it was presented at the New Jersey State Assembly number 4519 the 220th legislature. In it, the government’s defense of an abuse that the automobile factories are committing against drivers is clearly stated.
And it is that, in recent years, one of the most common trends that exists in the automotive sector is the subscription phenomenon. The fact that the consumer must assume a specific payment to the manufacturing industry of his vehicle to access certain functionalities has become something usual and even internalized. For example, the simple fact access the navigation system will involve the customer paying a subscription for this software.
We analyze the case of Tesla. This company charges its users between $9.99 per month and $99 per year on average for simply accessing navigation, maps and voice commands once the cars reach a certain age.
Examples of subscription payments
Tesla’s self-driving cars are striking but what would people think if it exceeds that the company ships each car with the necessary hardware but charges a fee of $15,000? And the worst thing is that it has risen in September, since before it was at $12,000.
And from Tesla to BMW. Interestingly this company is based in New Jersey. The company also launched the subscription through Apple Car Playalthough it was finally suppressed in 2019 due to the popular pressure generated after appearing on the covers of the press.
This same company, in markets such as Korea or the United Kingdom, offers integrated hardware functions for a paid subscription. Let’s give an example: imagine having to pay for the seats to have an integrated heating system. Well yes, BMW includes this operation and also for 18 dollars per month.
In 2019, if you wanted Apple Car Play as an extra, you had to subscribe for a fee ranging from $80 a year to $300 for twenty years. In 2020, BMW publicly claimed to maintain payment software with blocked features. In the UK, for example, the assistant Driving Assistant Plus costs just over £700 and combines adaptive cruise with lane keeping.
However, it offers the possibility of testing this functionality for three months and then choosing whether to buy it for one month, one year or three years. The logical thing would be to buy the unlimited choice coming out for 550 lbs.
For all these reasons, Assemblymen Paul Moriarty and Joe Danielsen raised their voices and introduced the bill that prohibits automobile manufacturers or dealers from offering subscriptions in New Jersey for any function that uses hardware that is already installed in the car. vehicle when purchased. There is only one exception to this rule.that said expense was assumed by the distributor, the manufacturer or a third party.
With the regulations in hand, third-party services such as satellite radio or WIFI they must be incorporated, and if they fail to comply with this ordinance, the company could face fines ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 dollars.
The regulation, today, is a bill and there is no guarantee that it will be approved. If the manufacturer has to pay to maintain a server or connectivity as in the case of the navigation or self-driving system that pulls data from the cloudthe latter may be freed from the infraction as they are continuous expenses.
