I was interested to see Ford's new EV offering until….. "MY2028"

[sodamo]

This would actually make a ton of sense. The Slate has no wireless connectivity built in, sell a dongle and the subscription with it.

I know this forum is anti-any-subscription, but being able to wirelessly connect to your car is a great option to have. I've paid for it on my current car, currently am not paying for it, and frankly miss it. Considering pulling the trigger again.

I do pay for AT&T cellular for my Tundra, but I don’t pay Toyota for the subscription features. To me a vast difference. I will have internet in my Slate.

 

[Letas]

I do pay for AT&T cellular for my Tundra, but I don’t pay Toyota for the subscription features. To me a vast difference. I will have internet in my Slate.

Is that the "Remote Connect" vs the "Drive Connect or Integrated Streaming"?

I would imagine the low level remote access is the #1 seller by far across all manufacturers. Why would I pay for streaming services via my car when I already have em on my phone!

 

[Tran]

Ford's August 11 announcement isn't not going to be streamed live to the public, but only to those who've registered at the registration link:

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...ment-livestream-register-to-watch-here.29866/

 

[sodamo]

Is that the "Remote Connect" vs the "Drive Connect or Integrated Streaming"?

I would imagine the low level remote access is the #1 seller by far across all manufacturers. Why would I pay for streaming services via my car when I already have em on my phone!

called:
Unlimited for Connected Car

 

[Letas]

called:
Unlimited for Connected Car

Gotcha. I love the Dongle idea mentioned by @AZFox . Not integrated into the car for those who that is important to, but gives the option that many will want.

 

[KevinRS]

What all would the app even have?
Navigation - multiple free apps
Navigation with planning for charging, customized for remaining range - there are apps, are they free, do you need to pay for some features?
Music streaming - there are free and paid apps
Software updates for the truck - kind of a core function, doubt this would be a subscription
Roadside service/assistance - like onstar and other functions built into cars that require a subscription - if they add something like this, sure it will be paid, I'm kind of doubting it will be needed or bought, or even offered.
Ordering accessories - no need for a subscription, I do fully expect they will have an accessories tab to order stuff.
Remote preconditioning, vehicle location, that kind of thing would require some hardware like a dongle that hasn't been mentioned by slate, and also a subscription

Are there other things I'm missing?

I do understand some features will cost them money, and they need to pass that along. Charging locations might be one of them, a gas tracking app I use used to be able to fill in the gas station info when filling up, but the cost to connect to get that info went up and that part had to become subscription.

 

[Letas]

What all would the app even have?
Navigation - multiple free apps
Navigation with planning for charging, customized for remaining range - there are apps, are they free, do you need to pay for some features?
Music streaming - there are free and paid apps
Software updates for the truck - kind of a core function, doubt this would be a subscription
Roadside service/assistance - like onstar and other functions built into cars that require a subscription - if they add something like this, sure it will be paid, I'm kind of doubting it will be needed or bought, or even offered.
Ordering accessories - no need for a subscription, I do fully expect they will have an accessories tab to order stuff.
Remote preconditioning, vehicle location, that kind of thing would require some hardware like a dongle that hasn't been mentioned by slate, and also a subscription

Are there other things I'm missing?

I do understand some features will cost them money, and they need to pass that along. Charging locations might be one of them, a gas tracking app I use used to be able to fill in the gas station info when filling up, but the cost to connect to get that info went up and that part had to become subscription.

Likely a combination of all of those, with different tiers offered.

The most likely (and useful, in my opinion) seems to be "Remote preconditioning, vehicle location, that kind of thing would require some hardware like a dongle that hasn't been mentioned by slate, and also a subscription".

 

[Dorbiman]

Also management of vehicle settings, like charge limits etc. I imagine all of that would be in the app as well.

 

[Letas]

Also management of vehicle settings, like charge limits etc. I imagine all of that would be in the app as well.

True, I could see that.
Want the vehicle to only charge to 80% and only after 9pm? We will sell you a service for that!

Never know, could happen.

 

[Dorbiman]

True, I could see that.
Want the vehicle to only charge to 80% and only after 9pm? We will sell you a service for that!

Never know, could happen.

Oh, ew. Basic functionality should be part of the purchase

 

[Letas]

Oh, ew. Basic functionality should be part of the purchase

Should be, for sure. Slate has kind of balked at that overall though. Many consumers would say a radio should be part of the purchase. Slate's model seems to be "bare bones, sell you the rest", so... it's not out of the question.

Not rooting for it by any means, just discussing.

At the end of the day, they're a company, and they will take every dollar we give em.

 

[KevinRS]

I can't see them charging a subscription for the basic charging settings, though those may also be able to be controlled at the charger. The "dongle and remote services" seems most likely as a possible subscription, but there has been zero mention of a dongle or any of those services from slate.

 

[AZFox]

Slate's model seems to be "bare bones, sell you the rest", so... it's not out of the question.

You misspelled "We build it. You make it".

 

[AZFox]

If there's a connected-car dongle I'd hope it wouldn't turn out to be a Trojan Horse for subscription features.

The device would just need to be something that lets the app communicate the vehicle remotely, replacing the wired connection.

Maybe it'd have GPS location built in, which would be a deal-killer for me (and I think many others on here).

Then again, if it's a dongle you could just plug it in when you need it and remove it when you don't. Example would be to plug it in when you get to work. Now can precondition (outside of a schedule) when you know you're about to leave work.

If a feature -- say, remote conditioning -- is unavailable wired and only available via a wireless subscription that would suck.

 

[KevinRS]

Remote conditioning from outside of the keyfob range is pretty much going to require some subscription to pay for the likely cellular connection. It can be a low speed low priority connection, but still needs to be paid for.
Once you add that, other options become possible. Can't find the vehicle in a large parking lot?