MotorTrend: We’re Paying $650/Year to Subscribe to Our Ford F-150 Lightning

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kodiakng

kodiakng

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Just so. For things that require software development/maintenance and/or the maintenance of back-end infrastructure, ongoing service fees are justifiable. For things that the car's hardware are capable of providing by design, they are not.
agreed regarding the hardware in the car for which there really isn't a software component that is enhanced over time.

the issue will be where the hardware is just there as sensors and control for something that is primarily software, i.e. hands free BlueCruise. ford will have to prove itself to provide value in that space before they see folks fork over cash for the service.

I think the automotive press does disservice to consumers by talking about satellite radio and internet service fees, and fees to use heated seats and get extra torque/power firm the car's motors, as if they are the same thing.
i don't see this article isn't doing that. all of the services they listed are optional - you can subscribe or not. my concern is when ford tries to charge a subscription fee for an essential inherent drivability or safety feature of the car. they haven't done that so far but they could.

except....

... this.

I already pay for an internet-enabled phone, and through it I can stream music & video, get realtime traffic aware nav, and much more. I use Waze and podcast addict over AA in my Mach-E. Before I got my Mach-E I had a phone bracket on my dash so I could see waze, and played music/podcasts over bluetooth. I will easily go back to that arrangement if Ford wants to get cute and eliminate AA or charge for it.

As consumers we have the option to say "no" to this new paradigm.
ford hasn't done anything (yet 😏) to make it so you can't do these things. the streaming, SXM, mobile hotspot, etc features are all optional and additive to the car system. as you note, consumers can definitely say no to these optional services and use alternatives.

navigation, however, is a case where i'm less forgiving with ford: their internal system currently is the only way to enable a critical feature of the car - preconditioning the battery before DCFC. if they add a button or other method to do that independently from the navigation system it would give us better options.
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They will pry Waze out of my cold dead hands. Whatever the solution, it has to have Waze support for me, or I’m mounting my phone to use Waze.

my explorer has ford nav, it works. But it is not Waze.
 
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kodiakng

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I did find the car spot at highway speed worked better for my vpn work connection, than my Verizon iPhone. I think this has to do with the phone in a metal car versus, the antenna on the rear of the car for the car hotspot.
the car antenna is definitely better than the phone - especially with the treated windows on the MME.

Agree with using Verizon. it is interesting using att in the car with iHeart, it thinks I’m in Atlanta for ads.
the ad targeting is always a joy - my home service provider's corporate office is in madison, wisconsin so i get an interesting mix of ads too. 😂
 

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except....

... this.

I already pay for an internet-enabled phone, and through it I can stream music & video, get realtime traffic aware nav, and much more. I use Waze and podcast addict over AA in my Mach-E. Before I got my Mach-E I had a phone bracket on my dash so I could see waze, and played music/podcasts over bluetooth. I will easily go back to that arrangement if Ford wants to get cute and eliminate AA or charge for it.

As consumers we have the option to say "no" to this new paradigm.
One reason: battery power/ wear and tear on the phone.
Another: wireless CarPlay ties up the WiFi on your phone. (I assume wireless Android Auto does as well)

how long can your phone surf the internet over cellular before it needs to be recharges? How long can it run a WiFi hotspot before needing to recharge?
 

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What a depressing article. I hadn't realized just how many subscription services are already offered. None of them seem very compelling to me.
 


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Software businesses have a longer history of selling subscriptions. B2B software did pretty well with subscription model, retail software not so much. Companies like ratable revenue stream, corporate customers also like it, because it's a straightforward expense, no depreciation schedule, and they always have upto date software and perhaps service contract with that. But ordinary consumers hate subscriptions. And that the problem for Ford.
 

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Software businesses have a longer history of selling subscriptions. B2B software did pretty well with subscription model, retail software not so much. Companies like ratable revenue stream, corporate customers also like it, because it's a straightforward expense, no depreciation schedule, and they always have upto date software and perhaps service contract with that. But ordinary consumers hate subscriptions. And that the problem for Ford.
I think it's more than just hating subscriptions. I feel particularly salty about spending $60k on a car that advertises a feature with nothing mentioned about a subscription. I have to ask the right questions to shady/unreliable salesmen or locate the right online forums to learn about the subscription cost, and THEN a year later I discover that Ford can (and did) simply quadruple that price because, uh, "reasons".

Note that in this F150 article, four of the subscription prices are designated "unknown" after the trial. This is a big part of my problem, and the Bluecruise scenario should be illegal IMHO.
 
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kodiakng

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I like the title of the article.

I've been subscribing to my wife for about 20 years now. It costs me a lot more than $650/year. Every renewal is more expensive than the one before.
the cancelation fees on that subscription can be harsh too. 😏
 

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It is curious that they are choosing to pay for these options but without really giving a consumer POV.

Sirius/XM: Hard to justify the repetitive nature of the programming when a consumer can stream Spotify, Apple Music, Google, etc. With Solid programming. Even if they are not subscribers if they have a reasonable music library I'm not sure I would recommend it.

Wifi Hotspot: My phone plan includes it if I really needed to do something. I know not all people do but I think it would be worth checking the price to add and see if you get WAY more flexibility to use a hotspot away from your car.

Alexa: Hard pass.

Blue Cruise: Nope, not at the prices we're being told today. Once the sub runs out I'm gone.

Ford Streaming: Those with a phone and hotspot should easily be able to watch way more for less. But even the use case of sitting to charge, I'd probably be playing a game working, would others?

Ford Navigation: For CarPlay users the navigation has connectivity with the device, not sure on Android, but when the battery gets low Apple Maps pops up with charging locations. Not sure why this would be a paid thing. Anyone? I guess if you didn't have a smartphone?

Charge Network: TBD until pricing comes out and we know what competitors are going to do. If you're not a road warrior or taking long trips regularly I'd wager it's not worth it.

I am genuinely curious if people find these thing valuable enough to pay for given the alternatives, but have yet to see many folks in the forum voice support for these things.
 

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Sirius/XM: Hard to justify the repetitive nature of the programming when a consumer can stream Spotify, Apple Music, Google, etc. With Solid programming. Even if they are not subscribers if they have a reasonable music library I'm not sure I would recommend it.
My Rivian only has streaming and it loses signal all the time. But then I live in the desert and go to remote areas a lot. I actually never use my phone for music and do not store playlists. There are many places out west with very spotty cell service.
 

Cheexyooofs

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My Rivian only has streaming and it loses signal all the time. But then I live in the desert and go to remote areas a lot. I actually never use my phone for music and do not store playlists. There are many places out west with very spotty cell service.
Good to know. I'm in a more population dense area and don't venture far enough away where it would be an issue. This thing is mostly popping around town with a rare visit to the country. So for those with a similar expectation the streaming option should be sufficient. I also download playlists to my phone so I can listen on planes which have terrible wifi, if it works. I suppose my point was that there are options that can be considered depending on their use.
 
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kodiakng

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Good to know. I'm in a more population dense area and don't venture far enough away where it would be an issue. This thing is mostly popping around town with a rare visit to the country. So for those with a similar expectation the streaming option should be sufficient. I also download playlists to my phone so I can listen on planes which have terrible wifi, if it works. I suppose my point was that there are options that can be considered depending on their use.
SXM, WiFI hotspot, and streaming are all optional subscriptions so i don't think ford is expecting a huge take rate. the first two are subscriptions to a third party service so they don't get a huge revenue stream (if any) from them. streaming seems like a toy that only those with unrestrained disposable income would use.

the navigation, charge network, and BlueCruise are all ford products and do enhance a larger percentage of their customer base's use of the product. i just wish ford would price them so they are more palatable for 80%+ of their user base than the 20% they appear to be happy with in the current BlueCruise pricing.
 

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One reason: battery power/ wear and tear on the phone.
Another: wireless CarPlay ties up the WiFi on your phone. (I assume wireless Android Auto does as well)

how long can your phone surf the internet over cellular before it needs to be recharges? How long can it run a WiFi hotspot before needing to recharge?
if only there was a USB or wireless charger in the car... ;)
 

Blue highway

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It might be click bait to some, I thought it was a good article. I'll bet a lot of folks didn't realize how many things in a car can be subscribed to... or how much it adds up to.
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