GM charges a subscription for their Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system and it appears Volkswagen will follow suit.
In an interview with Top Gear, Volkswagen’s sales and marketing boss suggested the future could see the automaker fully equipping vehicles and then charging owners to activate and use certain features. In effect, it’s similar to how BMW offers over-the-air features such as high-beam assist.
More interestingly, Klaus Zellmer suggested the company could charge €7 ($8.41 / £6.04) an hour to use Level 4 autonomous driving technology. He said the company’s cost modeling has shown this would be a “profitable business case” and would be much cheaper for consumers than taking a train.
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While many people will likely frown at the possibility of hourly subscriptions, Zellmer said installing Level 4 autonomous driving technology would cost a “five-digit Euro figure.” This would put it out of the reach of mainstream consumers.
However, by equipping vehicles with the technology and only charging when consumers use it, everyone can benefit in theory. That being said, €7 ($8.41 / £6.04) an hour is steep enough that some drivers might be turned off by the idea.
For comparison, GM charges $25 (£17.98 / €20.82) a month for Super Cruise after three years. Ford hasn’t released too many details about their long-term plans for BlueCruise, but the software will cost $600 (£431 / €500) and include a three-year service period. If the cost remains the same after the initial three years, that would work out to a little over $16 (£11.51 / €13.33) a month.
Volkswagen’s rate of $8.41 (€7 / £6.04) an hour seems steep by comparison, but it’s worth noting that Level 4 autonomous driving technology doesn’t require driver supervision when in use.
