Posted on 09/10/2017 10:42:47 AM PDT by TigerClaws
It’s common practice for car manufacturers to “de-tune” the engines they put in less expensive models.
The engine in my car produces 10 hp more that the lower tier model, and 15 hp less that the model a tier above mine.
The engines are exactly the same, aside from the ECU programming. It helps manufactures sell the more expensive models, while also being able to meet efficiency requirements across their lineup as a whole.
“very software I work on ships fully capable and whether you get feature set X or Y depends on how much money you give us and the license key we generate”
Yeah, I have seen that even in the avionics sector. Pay a bit more and we will give you a SW key that unlocks extra features.
In the long run it’s a better model. Fewer deliverables, less needed testing, faster and easier upgrades. It’s much easier for everybody. It’s just the first time this has hit the automotive market, so it’s got people confused. It’ll be interesting to see how far this goes. I wonder if someday we’ll see the low end version of cars actually having all the hardware (instead of those hole covers) and just not enabling them, and then you can “upgrade” your car with a quick call to the manufacturer.
Tesla is further proof that P.T. Barnum was right.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.