GM dealers aren’t happy future EVs won’t support CarPlay: ‘There’s an infinite number of ways this could go bad’
Earlier this year, GM announced its boneheaded decision to ditch CarPlay in all of its future EVs, opting for a partnership with Google instead. The company has received an incredible amount of backlash since that announcement, and unsurprisingly, GM dealerships are also none too happy about the move.
A new report from the Detroit Free Press rounds up comments and concerns from GM dealers who are still grappling with GM’s surprise announcement. One source “in close contact with multiple GM dealers” explained that the “risk of failure is very high” for the automaker to abandon CarPlay.
Despite announcing the move publicly in March, GM dealers haven’t received any communication from the company about what exactly is happening:
“CarPlay’s not broken. Why fix it?” asked a source in close contact with multiple GM dealers and who requested anonymity for business concerns. “The risk of failure is very high.”
“I don’t even know the name of (GM’s) new system, much less what benefits our customers can expect,” the dealer source said. “Nobody has had any communication from GM. What am I supposed to tell my customers?”
“The new system can’t just work,” the dealer source said. “It has to be the best in the market. It’s got to be better than CarPlay.”
That same dealer source also questioned the timing of GM’s move, killing CarPlay as it simultaneously plans to ramp up its focus on EVs with its Ultium EV architecture this year.
“Why are we doing this with the launch of our most important new vehicles? Shouldn’t all the resources devoted to developing it have been spent on launching the actual vehicles?” the source said to the Detroit Free Press. “There’s an infinite number of ways this could go bad.”
Other GM dealers cited in the report expressed similar concerns, including worries that the move could cost dealers and salespeople money. GM, of course, is hoping that this move will boost its bottom line with an increased focus on subscription revenue. The company is targeting $20 billion to $25 billion in annual revenue from subscriptions by 2030.
GM dealers and salespeople are concerned the change will cost them money, too. Complaints about a vehicle or its features can reduce payments they get for customer satisfaction, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We would hate for there to be a hiccup in the launch of these key new products,” one said. “We have a lot riding on this.”
9to5Mac’s Take
There’s only so much I can write about this move, but I’ll reiterate my thoughts once more in hopes Mary Barra comes across this story.
This is a change GM will regret. It’s a change that reeks of greed and shortsightedness. And it comes as automakers like Ford are doubling down on their decisions to support CarPlay.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Ford CEO Jim Farley said:
Seventy percent of our Ford customers in the U.S. are Apple customers. Why would I go to an Apple customer and say ‘good luck!’ That, like, doesn’t seem customer-centric. And Apple does a really good job. So our philosophy is different. Our philosophy is we’re going to make the best Android, CarPlay experience you can imagine.
We’re going to put on top of it a really good customization opportunity for the customer, so they can kind of get what they want out of the interior experience. And let’s go ship great productivity, partial autonomy, safety and security software. That’s where the data off the car makes a difference and we can be different.
Farley gets it and understands how important CarPlay is to buyers. GM and Mary Barra clearly don’t.
Tesla and Rivian are the two other major holdouts in adopting CarPlay, but at least they’ve spent years developing their respective infotainment systems.
I have zero faith in GM’s ability to create something that will even remotely match the reliability, familiarity, and feature set of CarPlay.
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DHL Express has more than 10,000 eSprinter vans in its global delivery fleet, but none of those have been deployed in North America – until now, that is! The company recently added 45 new Mercedes eSprinter panel vans, and they’ve got plans for plenty more!
While Mercedes offers its eSprinters with a promised 206 mile estimated range, DHL says it’s consistently seen them exceed 240 miles in stop-and-go delivery duty, making them the longest-range battery electric vehicles in DHL’s US fleet.
This extended capacity makes them ideally suited for urban logistics while expanding their potential use in longer delivery routes. The eSprinter vans also offer the same massive cargo capacity as their diesel-powered brothers, making them efficient last-mile delivery solutions that don’t compromise on payload or operational reliability.
And, of course, the eSprinter will do all of that without the noise, vibration, and harmful carbon emissions of diesel.
“Electrifying our fleet is one of the most visible and impactful ways we are moving toward a more sustainable future,” explains Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express, US. “The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter brings an extended range and proven cargo capabilities that allow us to serve our customers with zero emissions, while also advancing our global goal of more sustainable logistics. These vehicles not only strengthen our operations in major US cities but also set the stage for future electric fleet growth across the Americas.”
The 45 eSprinters will see deployment in Chicago, Indiana, and Pittsburg, and will act as a first step DHL’s global Sustainability Roadmap, which will see the company electrify 66% of its last-mile US delivery fleet (and some of its long-haul fleet operations) by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
In addition to these 45 vans, DHL is electrifying its European and Asian delivery fleets, ramping up its sustainable aviation fuel use, and even exploring electric semis, eVTOL and hybrid aircraft deliveries, and more.
In short, they’re doing the right thing – or seem to be, anyway. Whether or not that commitment to decarbonization will win them more American customers remains to be seen.
SOURCE | IMAGES: DHL, via PR Newswire.
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Enphase Energy just launched a new off-grid system that lets homeowners power their homes without a utility connection – even for extended periods. The California-based Enphase says the off-grid setup delivers a seamless way to live independently from the grid while still using solar, batteries, and a standby AC generator.
A full off-grid setup
The new system combines Enphase’s IQ Battery 5P with embedded grid-forming microinverters, IQ8 Series Microinverters with Sunlight JumpStart, and a third-party standby AC generator. The components work together to supply power to a home and automatically manage energy sources to maximize efficiency and reliability.
If the batteries are drained and the generator runs out of fuel, the Sunlight JumpStart feature can automatically recharge the batteries the next morning once the sun comes up.
The IQ Battery 5P delivers 3.84 kVA of power per 5 kWh of capacity, and systems can be scaled up to 40 kWh and 15.4 kVA. That’s enough power to start big household appliances like HVAC systems or water pumps. The IQ System Controller 3G provides the backbone, managing solar, batteries, and generator inputs to deliver up to 46 kVA of off-grid power.
Smarter control and connectivity
Each system connects to the cloud through Enphase’s IQ Combiner 5C HDK, which bundles solar interconnection, communications, and metering into one box. For homes without reliable broadband, the built-in 4G LTE Cat 4 modem keeps the system online for monitoring, firmware updates, and remote support.
Homeowners can manage everything from the Enphase App – from solar generation and battery status to generator integration and load control.
Why it matters
As grid outages become more common and homeowners look for ways to gain energy independence, off-grid systems like this are becoming more appealing.
“With the launch of our off-grid solution, we are giving homeowners a reliable path to complete energy independence,” said Nitish Mathur, Enphase’s SVP of customer experience. Enphase says over 100 homes are already operating entirely off-grid using its technology. The company plans to expand availability beyond the US in 2026.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
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Global offshore wind targets are still strong enough to triple global capacity by 2030, despite the US’s offshore wind stagnation under Trump. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) shows that the rest of the world is charging forward, underscoring confidence in offshore wind as a cornerstone of future clean energy systems.
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