GM claims CarPlay and Android Auto cause “unsafe” driver behavior
GM can’t really catch a break on its decision to end support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in-vehicle projection modes. And while that choice does have a defensible business purpose (more on that in a moment), recent comments from Tim Babbitt, GM’s Head of Product for Infotainment, to Motor Trend seem like an unforced error — making an already unpopular move feel even less justifed.
Specifically, Babbitt claimed that frequent freezes, disconnections, and bugs with CarPlay and Android Auto cause drivers to look at their phones because the projection systems aren’t behaving as intended. This “totally defeats” the purpose of those projection systems, and takes the eyes of drivers off the road — the unsafe driver behavior referred to in the title of this article.
There’s not much more to Babbitt’s reasoning here, except for the context that such issues are more common with Android Auto because of GM’s practical inability to properly validate its vehicles against the full ecosystem of Android devices (and re-validate with every system OTA those devices receive). This is at least a sympathetic claim: Google really is the one holding the ball when it comes to ensuring all Android devices behave similarly when in Android Auto projection mode, though vehicle manufacturers are still the final “check” on that behavior when all is said and done.
The comments were made during a press event for the Bazer EV, and I am sure that GM continues to face almost unending inquiry about dropping CarPlay and Android Auto from basically every automotive journalist. GM’s PR provided the following statement in response to Motor Trend’s article:
“We wanted to reach out to clarify that comments about GM’s position on phone projection were misrepresented in previous articles and to reinforce our valued partnerships with Apple and Google and each company’s commitment to driver safety. GM’s embedded infotainment strategy is driven by the benefits of having a system that allows for greater integration with the larger GM ecosystem and vehicles.”
General motors
Electrek’s Take
On some level, I can empathize with what Babbitt is saying. Especially with Android Auto, where the number and variety of Android handsets causing compatibility issues is certainly real. This diversity has caused problems with the wider ecosystem of services, software, and accessories since Android’s earliest days. But I’m far from convinced that this is GM’s real motivation behind its decision to drop CarPlay and Auto.
I have seen zero evidence that CarPlay presents anything like this difficulty to OEMs, and that’s where Babbitt’s comments about safety really start losing steam. iPhones generally run the same version of iOS within 5 or so years of hardware generation, and there are an order of magnitude fewer iPhone models actively in use on Earth than Android phones. iPhones being a very consistent development target is a very real advantage of the iOS platform from an outside developer perspective. Have I experienced CarPlay connectivity issues? Sure. Very early implementations in Porsche vehicles were finicky, and I have no doubt that other manufacturers have less-than-perfect behavior with CarPlay. But in general, even Mazda’s positively ancient head unit stack worked very reliably for me with CarPlay (barring wireless mode, which sucks on pretty much every car I’ve tried).
And even if you take Babbitt at his word here that Android Auto and CarPlay are so buggy that they constitute a legitimate safety issue, the idea that native infotainment eliminates drivers using their phones is facially absurd to me. No native vehicle infotainment system is going to display full-length text messages while a vehicle is in motion, or play Netflix, or allow a driver to do one of a dozen other things that are objectively unsafe to do while operating a vehicle. Native infotainment makes such behavior even easier if you actually understand and have used Android Auto, in particular. Android Auto makes it notably difficult to access your phone’s standard interface while it’s in operation, specifically to discourage a driver reaching for the phone. CarPlay, admittedly, doesn’t do this, but Auto seems to be the platform targeted more so as causing the “unsafe” behavior discussed here because of difficulties in controlling for end user hardware.
This feels like yet another sidestep of GM’s real motivation for eliminating CarPlay and Android Auto: Software subscription revenue. If GM is not the owner of the “portal” to services like music streaming or whatever other content you might choose to access in your car, GM has no opportunity to sell you those services and earn a commission. Personally, I also don’t see anything morally wrong about this. GM is running a for-profit business, not a charity. It’s not like Google and Apple are selling you software and services out of the goodness of their own hearts, either — consumers are just voicing their very understandable preference for an integrated ecosystem.
I think GM needs to just take the “L” on this CarPlay / Android Auto debacle and own up to the fact that this is a business decision made in order to achieve a business objective. Let the marketplace decide if that decision has enough benefits to outweigh the drawbacks. In other words: Let your product speak for itself. If customers decide GM’s native infotainment platform provides an experience they like, I suspect those customers will use that platform. If they don’t? They’ll do what customers do and vote with their wallets. The more rationalizing and sidestepping GM does, the bigger a hole it digs itself, and the less confidence it appears to have in its convictions.
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While much of the Western world is still figuring out how to get more people on electric bikes, China just flipped a switch, and the results are staggering. Thanks to a generous nationwide trade-in program rolled out around six months ago, China has seen an explosive surge in electric bicycle sales, with over 8.47 million new e-bikes hitting the road in the first half of 2025 alone.
The program, which offers subsidies to riders who trade in their old, often outdated electric bikes for newer, safer, and more efficient models, has sparked a new e-bike sale boom in a country already dominated by e-bike travel. In major provinces like Jiangsu, Hebei, and Zhejiang, over one million new e-bikes were sold in each region in just six months. That’s a tidal wave of e-bike sales.
The incentives vary depending on location and the model being traded in, but for many consumers, the subsidies cover a substantial portion of a new e-bike’s price – enough to turn a “maybe next year” purchase into a “right now” upgrade. And these aren’t just budget bikes either. The program has driven demand for higher-quality models with better batteries, safer braking systems, and more reliable electronics, accelerating both adoption and innovation across the industry.
The move has proven successful in replacing the millions of older models with lower-quality lithium-ion batteries that had posed safety risks around the country. Instead, China has pushed for higher-quality lithium-ion batteries, a return to a newer generation of higher-performance AGM batteries, and even interesting new sodium-ion battery options.
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, more than 8.4 million consumers have participated in the e-bike trade-in program so far, contributing to a sales increase of 643.5% year-over-year and more than doubling sales month-over-month. Meanwhile, production of new electric bicycles rose by nearly 28%, as manufacturers scrambled to meet demand. The sales boosts have already been seen in the financial reports of major industry players like NIU.
And it’s not just the big players benefiting – over 82,000 small independent e-bike dealers reported average sales increases of ¥302,000 (around US $42,000), giving a serious boost to local economies.
What’s particularly striking here is how fast this happened. The program was officially launched late last year as part of a broader effort to stimulate domestic consumption and phase out outdated vehicles and appliances. But while most analysts expected gradual growth, the e-bike sector responded much more quickly. In less than a year, the trade-in subsidies have reshaped the electric bicycle market, creating a consumer-driven boom that shows no signs of slowing.
For those of us watching from outside China, it’s hard not to wonder what might happen if other countries tried something similar. While most families in Chinese cities already own an electric bike and thus see this as an opportunity to trade it in for a newer model, Western countries like the US are still figuring out how to stimulate commuters into buying their first e-bike.
It’s too soon to know exactly how long the boom will last or whether the momentum will carry into 2026 and beyond. We’ve seen bicycle industry bubbles grow and burst before. But one thing’s clear: with the right incentives, even modest ones, it’s possible to ignite real, large-scale change. China just proved it with nearly 8.5 million new e-bikes to show for it.
And if you’re wondering what it looks like when a country takes electric micromobility seriously, this is it.
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![Day 1 of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025 [Gallery]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/07/54629423281_6315c46dff_k.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!
In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.
Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.
Stay tuned for more!
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The numbers are in and they are all bad for Tesla fans – the company sold just 5,000 Cybertruck models in Q4 of 2025, and built some 30% more “other” vehicles than it delivered. It just gets worse and worse, on today’s tension-building episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got day 1 coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, reports that the Tesla Optimus program is in chaos after its chief engineer jumps ship, and a look ahead at the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 2 set to bow early next year, thanks to some battery specs from the Kia EV2.
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