[thoralfskolem]

I'd prefer to not have to jailbreak a car.

If this is the future for electric car business models where we have software defined features, I'm going to disengage as an early adopter. I actually think they should not sell the cheaper version because it dilutes the brand and the software upgrade starts to make the brand give off an enterprise subscription stench.

Where does this business model end? Am I going to have to renew my battery algorithm subscription yearly or my car turns into a piece of locked out hardware? Maybe I have to pay regularly to download self-driving updates? Am I going to have to pay to support the infrastructure to receive updates long after my car ends its production run?

[mikeash]

That's a slippery slope argument not supported by the facts.

You don't have to jailbreak. You can get the car fully unlocked from the factory. But it costs more.

So again, what would you prefer, not having the lower cost option, or having the lower cost option be hardware limited? Or is there some third option you want?