[RMN]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

Soon there will be many aftermarket tuners who will unlock the rear wheel steering to it's full potential permanently with a software update. That will teach Mercedes a lesson.

Not really. EVs are becoming incredibly dependent on staying connected to the OEM platform. Just like how rooted and jailbroken smartphones could be recognized by service centers and denied warranty, the same can be done by the car manufacturer.

They can also have fail safes to brick the vehicle like they do for cracked games. So "hacking" an EV wouldn't be as pleasant as doing it on a phone or a game. Safety also becomes a concern.

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by RMN

Not really. EVs are becoming incredibly dependent on staying connected to the OEM platform. Just like how rooted and jailbroken smartphones could be recognized by service centers and denied warranty, the same can be done by the car manufacturer.

They can also have fail safes to brick the vehicle like they do for cracked games. So "hacking" an EV wouldn't be as pleasant as doing it on a phone or a game. Safety also becomes a concern.

Well, that's not hacking. There are many aftermarket providers who enable some cool features in the Teslas too. It's just like what people do with VCDS in Volkswagen cars, you can enable small features which already have hardware support by just plugging in to the car's OBD port.

Also, the OEM would not even know that you have made some changes until they connect their scanning tools during service. I am sure unlocking of minor features like the rear wheel steering can be done without it showing up on the company's database. This IMO is not at all a safety concern and I believe we will have a lot more aftermarket options for these services available for EVs in the future.

[arun_m5]

Also, the OEM would not even know that you have made some changes until they connect their scanning tools during service. I am sure unlocking of minor features like the rear wheel steering can be done without it showing up on the company's database. This IMO is not at all a safety concern and I believe we will have a lot more aftermarket options for these services available for EVs in the future.[/quote]

These connected cars repeatedly transmit telemetry to their HQ's, its a new type of car and without a doubt they will be monitoring car performance across a variety of geographies. Just plugging in a non genuine OBD tool will definitely be logged in the system and good luck trying to claim warranty after that.

[KANNURAN]

There might be a legal element laced into this subscription offer.
Probably, the user would have to CLICK OK on some legal mumbo-jumbo as a part of subscribing for the additional 5.5 Degree's.
Being an electro-mechanical device capable of catastrophic consequences if it fails at high speed, a ploy like this might help indemnify Mercedes against consequential damages in the event of any untoward happening.

[RMN]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

Well, that's not hacking. There are many aftermarket providers who enable some cool features in the Teslas too. It's just like what people do with VCDS in Volkswagen cars, you can enable small features which already have hardware support by just plugging in to the car's OBD port.

.........

Obviously the term was used quite loosely. Besides, enabling those features on VW ,Ford or Tesla requires either a non proprietary software or official software with an illegal license. Also, the manufacturer will be able to catch these mods easily if they look for it. They generally dont when nothing is wrong because they don't have any incentive to or data that they can easily get. But I bet they will when we start denying them their subscription money! Also with modern EVs, the telemetry and data would be easily accessible that will reveal the use of these hardware blocked behind subscription plans.

[kosjam]

Originally Posted by arun_m5

Also, the OEM would not even know that you have made some changes until they connect their scanning tools during service. I am sure unlocking of minor features like the rear wheel steering can be done without it showing up on the company's database. This IMO is not at all a safety concern and I believe we will have a lot more aftermarket options for these services available for EVs in the future.

Actually, considering they are planning to monetize this feature, they will keep a very close eye on every EQS sold with this feature locked, so that they can immediately find out if any tinkering is happening. The only way to do this would be to disable all network access to the Mercedes network and then doing the modifications, but this would be nullified by the OTA improvements that you risk losing out on as a consequence.