Ford hasn't said (or likely even knows themselves yet) how much they will charge for connected services after 3 years. However, connected services are not mandatory and are not required in order to received OTA updates or control the car's functions with the app over cellular.
Thanks for a reply from a member of the Infinite Blue Metallic Club who also owns a 2018 Outlander PHEV like me. Were you as disappointed in Mitsubishi's artificial battery degradation as I have been?
Yep! I've been using one of the silly reset methods to restore the full usable capacity every 9 months or so. I'm really looking forward to moving away from a vehicle with lots of the quirks of Japanese cars that haven't really been tailored to the North American market. Don't get me wrong, I think Mitsubishi was ahead of their time when the Outlander PHEV was first released in 2014 (in other markets). But it's now behind, and it's time to move on. It did its job by convincing me that I can drive solely on electricity though. If I can get through a year on a tank of gas with a 12kWh battery, I'll be just fine with the MME.
I was never successful getting any of the silly methods to work for me. Down to 85 percent capacity after 3 years but just 14,000 miles because their BMS it based on age of the battery more than actual use. I have never DC Fast Charged my battery and most charging has been done as Level 1 trickle charge. It is a good looking vehicle, but really looking forward to my First Mustang and a little annoyed any time I hear someone saying It is not a Mustang.Yep! I've been using one of the silly reset methods to restore the full usable capacity every 9 months or so. I'm really looking forward to moving away from a vehicle with lots of the quirks of Japanese cars that haven't really been tailored to the North American market. Don't get me wrong, I think Mitsubishi was ahead of their time when the Outlander PHEV was first released in 2014 (in other markets). But it's now behind, and it's time to move on. It did its job by convincing me that I can drive solely on electricity though. If I can get through a year on a tank of gas with a 12kWh battery, I'll be just fine with the MME.
OTA updates will primarily be delivered over Wifi.
Do we know that? I would think that if you have it set to download updates automatically, when an update is available, the car will start to download it regardless of whether it's on WiFi or cellular. If it's connected to both, it will certainly use WiFi first, but if it's sitting in a parking lot with no WiFi when an update becomes available, I don't think it will wait to see if it connects to WiFi later.
Manual, page 362
That just seems like a standard disclaimer for cellular data in general. Yes, it will take longer. Yes, it's less reliable, so it may not even work depending on your coverage. But it does appear that you can set a specific schedule for when it checks for updates, so your best chance of success would be to schedule it for a time when your car is typically at home and connected to WiFi. In that sense, most updates would likely be downloaded over WiFi, so I guess your original statement is correct.
I thought it was detailed the same as the nav maps and you could download, hash check and install from USB as an option. But it appears that Vehicle System Updates only discusses wi-fi. If the modem is a paid service many will not update and may defeat the propose. I would think a download and usb update will also be offered?
The cellular modem will continue to function without paying for any service. This will include connectivity for system updates (but doesn't necessarily mean that every update itself will be free). There shouldn't be any need for offline updates via USB, but I'm sure dealers will be able to do it that way in case there's a problem with the system that prevents it from connecting remotely.
I came this close to buying an Outlander PHEV last year. Wife finally vetoed me and got a Cr-V.Yep! I've been using one of the silly reset methods to restore the full usable capacity every 9 months or so. I'm really looking forward to moving away from a vehicle with lots of the quirks of Japanese cars that haven't really been tailored to the North American market. Don't get me wrong, I think Mitsubishi was ahead of their time when the Outlander PHEV was first released in 2014 (in other markets). But it's now behind, and it's time to move on. It did its job by convincing me that I can drive solely on electricity though. If I can get through a year on a tank of gas with a 12kWh battery, I'll be just fine with the MME.
Wi-fi thru local lan (5G) should still continue. Think they will charge of OS updates? Or just for things like to go faster and non-approved autonomous driving. We would assume safety, range, efficiency and UI updates will be free? If they start to nickel and dime it will motive me to trade up to another brand in a few years.
Yes, OS updates will be free. I think the only things that Ford will charge for are things that add new functionality, like hands-free driving. If they add sentinal mode, dog mode, etc., they might charge for those. Or they might not...nobody really knows except for what we've been told about the cost of the hands-free driving update.
