Posted on 01/17/2022 8:07:13 AM PST by DoodleBob
Remember when BMW wanted to charge drivers to use Apple CarPlay? How about the subscription required for the Mercedes EQS's rear-wheel steering functionality in Europe? It turns out that luxury marques aren't the only ones looking to cash in on that sweet, sweet software as a service cash: Toyota has been testing the waters by making the remote start functionality on your proximity key fob part of a larger connected services subscription.
Yes, it appears the pay-to-play ethos that's spreading around the industry has reached the world's largest automaker. A Toyota spokesperson confirmed to The Drive that if a 2018 or later Toyota is equipped with Toyota's Remote Connect functions, the vehicle must be enrolled in a valid subscription in order for the key fob to start the car remotely. To be clear, what we're talking about is the proximity-based RF remote start system, where you press a button on the fob to start the car while outside of it within a certain distance—say, from your front door to warm up your vehicle in the driveway on a cold morning before you get in. Your fob uses radio waves to communicate with the car, and no connection back to Toyota's servers is needed. But the function will not work without a larger Remote Connect subscription.
It's become more common in recent years for automakers to charge for apps that allow drivers to monitor, lock, or start their cars with their smartphones. As far as we can tell, though, Toyota's the first company to charge for full use of your physical key fob—either $8 a month or $80 a year at the Remote Connect plan's current price.
When buying a new Toyota, buyers have the option to trial Toyota's Connected Services. These can include features like emergency assistance, hotspot connectivity, and app-based services like remote vehicle unlocking and starting. The length of Toyota's trial depends on the vehicle in question, as well the audio package included in the vehicle. For example, vehicles equipped with Audio Plus get a trial of up to three years whereas Premium Audio may have a trial for up to 10 years. Beyond that, drivers will need to pay for a subscription to continue using the key fob's remote start.
It also might not be obvious when buying a new Toyota that the remote start function is tied to a subscription. For example, the dealer video below shows a brief overview from a salesperson who states that the key should work on certain Toyotas "as long as [they have] Audio Plus"—no mention of the trial period or required subscription once that ends.
News of Toyota's decision surfaced on Reddit last month after an eagle-eyed user spotted some wording in Toyota's Remote Connect marketing materials that suggested an ongoing subscription would be required for drivers to start their car remotely with their key fob. The phrasing was confusing, and some wondered whether Toyota would actually take this step. A peek at various Toyota forums shows some owners have been reckoning with this possibility for a couple years now, though with many 2018 or newer Toyotas still within their subscription trial periods, it's entirely possible that most drivers are unaware of the arrangement.
Though the thread on Reddit was eventually labeled "Potentially Misleading" by moderators after garnering hundreds of comments, Toyota's response to The Drive was unequivocal: A paid subscription is required for the key fob's remote start function to work for every single model.
Ten years might seem like a long time. According to a study by iSeeCars, the average vehicle owner keeps their car for around 8.4 years. Toyota is ranked as the longest-kept manufacturer, with the average vehicle ownership lasting nine years. Cars are also lasting longer than ever with the average age of vehicles on the road being 12.1 years old, meaning that people are keeping new and used rides longer than ever. It's plausible that a vehicle will change hands during that 10-year trial period, leading to the remote start function deactivating after someone purchases the vehicle used. But it's just as plausible that the original owner will have to pay up.
What's even more unknown is how technology might affect something like this in the future. For example, cellular providers in the U.S. have earmarked the end of the 3G cellular network, a technology that many vehicles rely on today in order to call home to the mothership, so to speak. We've got a whole explainer on that available here, but the long and the short of it is that the situation is particularly dire for Toyota owners.
While some other manufacturers are retrofitting vehicles to be compatible with newer LTE networks, Toyota is discontinuing Connected Services support for the affected vehicles, all of which are model year 2019 or earlier. A Toyota spokesperson confirmed to The Drive that it has no plans to offer an upgrade, paid or otherwise, to vehicles affected by the 3G shutdown. Perhaps not coincidentally, the automaker also announced that it has "enhanced" vehicles built before Nov. 12, 2018, to no longer require a subscription for the key fob's remote start feature to function.
It's pretty clear that consumers aren't exactly rooting for subscription services in the auto industry. Toyota's example feels a bit egregious; it would be different if the key required a separate cellular connection or paired with the owner's phone via bluetooth and utilized the app's baked-in connectivity. But this is a physical key fob that needs to communicate directly with the vehicle via radio frequency—no remote connection back to Toyota is needed. So why require a subscription?
Update 12/11/2021 @ 2:20 pm ET: The story has been updated to clarify that the key fob's proximity-based radio frequency remote start function will not work without a paid subscription to Toyota's Remote Connect suite of connected services. The Drive regrets any confusion the original copy may have caused.
On my 2012 Tacoma you can start it remotely. It is a great feature in the winter if you are parked out side during a snowstorm.
However, if you unlock the door you have to put the key in the ignition prior to touching anything else or it shuts itself off.
This was the first vehicle I have ever had with this option.
Just like the rear view camera, I would never buy another vehicle without it.
I think I remember reading your comment in agreement, but can’t recall if I commented.
Prescient.
“How about the subscription required for the Mercedes EQS’s rear-wheel steering functionality in Europe? “
DETAILS:
4.5 degree steering standard.
10 degree option $1733 OR $576 per year
10 degree standard on US models
Not soon, NOW.
BMW (in 2020) wants customers to pay a subscription fee to use features the car already has installed, like a heated steering wheel or adaptive cruise control
In July, BMW plans to launch a comprehensive software update on compatible cars that includes digital personalisation and on-demand functions. The way it works, the automaker explained via a press release, is that BMW will provide the car’s necessary hardware and software during assembly so that, later on, it can be activated according to the buyer’s preference. BMW envisions a situation where, for example, if one customer wanted a feature that wasn’t requested when they bought the car, it can be added afterward. And if that car came into new ownership with someone else, that new owner could also activate the features that they want.
Nah. Your new EV will lock all the doors and drive you to the nearest police station. The police will be notified in advance of your crime and will be waiting to escort you to your cell.
Or maybe your car will drive you to the new North American Gulag in the Yukon Territory.
WHY POST OUT-OF-DATE ARTICLE?
Just buy the base model and you’ll get a hard key. My 2021 Tacoma is a base SR, no FOB.
I know of LOTS of friends and coworkers getting offers for their pre-HAL vehicles, and the frequency has cranked up since supply chain problems crystallized.
It's real easy to run paranoid scenarios, where the government remotely drives you and your car off a cliff or turns off your homes' utilities because of a bad social credit score. It's always possible - the technology is there. Plausible? At this time, probably not because there are still too many people - centrists AND Deplorables - who'd be impacted and peeved. After all, even Statists don't want to die.
But running scenario analysis is a core element of any risk management function. And as they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't coming after you.
It’s not tin foil material at all, it will be a reality.
God how I hate the Twenty-First Century!
I missed it in the sun, coach. Thanks.
And, some folks have thought I’m crazy for keeping my old car on the road. Takes a key. No one wants to carjack it at all. No one wants it at all. No one breaks into it. No one keys it. No car payment. AC works very well. Stereo still works (but I don’t listen due to liberal content everywhere). No sunroof to leak. Gets 26-27 mpg. Have fun with all of that computerized stuff on your vehicles. Spent over $400 getting the front shocks repaired due to difficult parts availability. Still a win.
ROFL.
“God how I hate the Twenty-First Century!”
I love all the new technology
Tesla did this with their Auto Drive software.
The Auto Drive software is preloaded on all of the cars it is available on and is activated or not at the time of sale if or if not the buyer pays for the option.
I read in an article that if the car is sold the new owner must pay for the software again.
If the new owner gets the car serviced, the dealer deactivates the software at that time.
And for a Tesla a dealer is about the only place you can get it service, other than for tires.
No mechanical connection between basic controls and you. All sensors and actuators. Now they want vehicles connected to the internet. What could go wrong?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive_by_wire#Uses_in_passenger_cars
I think I prefer a steering column connected to steering components. A brake pedal connected to the master cylinder. A gas pedal connected to the throttle.
This has become common with scientific equipment. Apparently it is cheaper to make all items top-of-the-line, rather than make different grades. It sounds like BMW only wants a one-time fee equal to what you would have paid initially.
But I agree, the X-as-service paradigm is awful.
I consistently refuse to pay for any “licenses” along these lines. The dealers try hard to sell you this BS. If enough people refuse to comply the business model will change. There’s always some schmuck that wants the gimmick bad enough though. If they try to sell you something critical like a subscription to start your car then you need to shop for a different car.
“I think I prefer a steering column connected to steering components. A brake pedal connected to the master cylinder. A gas pedal connected to the throttle.”
In RAIN/SNOW MODE my wife doesn’t have to worry about spinning my 750 hp Mustang.
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