According to BMW's head of technical development, Frank Weber, the automaker has no plans to introduce over-the-air (OTA) upgrades, as it would be too much of a hassle in terms of compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.
Weber stated during a roundtable at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that when a car company designs a vehicle, it must report its power ranges, specifications, and capabilities to the appropriate authorities, and any drastic changes would require the process to be repeated.
In summary, BMW has decided against offering subscription-based performance upgrades for its electric vehicles due to the time and financial burden of meeting safety and regulatory requirements. It could also be speculated that the revenue from such fees may not be sufficient to cover these expenses. As a result, unless a more efficient solution is found in the future, the power output of BMW EVs will remain unchanged from the factory.
The fate of Mercedes-Benz's $1,200 annual subscription for increased power on select EQ models remains uncertain, as the program is currently only available in the United States and faces "legal matters" hindering its launch in Europe. It remains to be seen if the German automaker will encounter similar challenges, but many hope that they will follow BMW's lead and refrain from implementing subscription-based performance upgrades.
Source: BMWBlog
