Earlier this week, I shared the reason why GM decided to create their own infotainment system instead of using phone-based systems. They mentioned that it was a safety issue due to poor connectivity issues. This would lead to distracted drivers. I do agree with that point.
However, there were a couple of other reasons. One reason is because customers didn’t know how to use CarPlay or Android Auto. They would then blame the car manufacturer. I believe this could be avoided with more training. If dealers learned how to use the systems and teach new owners, everyone would be happy.
The second, and more insidious, reason is that if owners are forced to interact with GM’s solution, the automaker will now have more control over their data.
- Where are drivers going?
- What are they listening to?
- What are they asking for with the Google Assistant?
- What car data are they most looking at?
On top of that, GM could put additional features behind a paywall. You want to listen to Spotify? That’ll $10 for our audio pack.
But who knows if this new infotainment system will last very long. Reports have started pouring thanks to Edmunds and InsideEVs sharing their thoughts on the new 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV. We now have some anecdotal evidence as to how these systems are working out.
The recent trip from Los Angeles to San Diego — to attend a media event for the Blazer EV, funnily enough — started uneventfully. But then the window switches refused to work. And then the infotainment display completely melted down, stuck in an infinite loop of shutting off, turning on, displaying a map centered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and turning back off again. It did this until we pulled off the freeway and restarted the car. All was well after the reset, but an hour later, it happened again.”
Nick Yekikian, Edmunds
Initially, the Blazer EV was just fine. But about 25 minutes outside of Gallipolis, there was a quick pause in the Bluetooth audio, and then the whole infotainment screen went blank. The heating, AC, and volume controls still worked, but all of the icons were missing. The gauge cluster’s Google Maps integration still showed my location, and I still had speed and range, so I figured the car was okay, and this was just a glitch.”
Kevin Williams, InsideEVs
It unfortunately doesn’t get any better for Kevin. Instead of leaving it as a “glitch”, he decided to dig into forums to find a solution. Just like receiving OTA updates for a car to fix a recall, “rebooting” my car is something I shouldn’t have to do. But, Kevin, I interrupted.
I sat on the side of the road for the next 20 minutes, skimming through Lyriq forums and Reddit posts, hoping there was a quick fix and I could get back on the road. The consensus is that if the reset didn’t work, many Lyriq infotainment problems have been fixed when the vehicle goes into “deep sleep,” turning off many of its complicated computer modules. This would involve walking away from a locked vehicle for at least five minutes, something that wasn’t possible or safe to do on a busy freeway. I contemplated turning around and calling it quits. However, I would need to DC fast charge anyway to get home, and I was so close to my first DC fast charging stop. It just made more sense to continue. The reset had also removed the directions I needed to get to the Gallipolis fast charging station. To add insult to injury, there was no way to input directions again because the main infotainment screen wasn’t working. I hastily plugged the address into my phone, and perched the phone near the vents, navigating to the DC fast charging stations via the tiny screen of my old iPhone.”
In what world is any of this okay? At least with a phone, I can disconnect and reboot the phone. I don’t have to worry about rebooting a car on a freeway.
Seeing how these will work in the real world is instilling less confidence. If I were you, I’d back away slowly from GM vehicles, especially the Blazer.
Couldn’t be me!
Source: 9to5Mac
