Stop of 2G networks: a blow for drivers of Volkswagen e-Up!, Skoda Citigo e iV and Seat Mii Electric

Times are tough for motorists of the digital age who naively thought that their little electric city car would be the key to a bright future, and no, not in another dimension, but right here, on Earth. The formal decision to shut down the 2G network starting in 2026 is like a clap of thunder in a clear sky, a real shock for drivers of the Volkswagen e-Up!, Skoda Citigo e iV, and Seat Mii Electric. They find themselves in the midst of a disaster worthy of a bad disaster movie: this is the moment to say goodbye to all those delightful connected features, ridiculously convenient but now destined to be forgotten.

These little electric wonders, marketed in 2020, sold fewer than 10,000 units in France, an impeccable performance if one does not take into account that part of this equation is about to become obsolete. Imagine the scene for a moment: drivers boasting of their electric consumption as low as that of a toaster suffering from chronic fatigue. But with the discontinuation of 2G networks, these dear Volkswagen e-Up!, Skoda Citigo e iV, and Seat Mii Electric will lose their precious connected apps, so much so that selfies in front of the charging station may be the last trace of glory these models leave behind.

This is not just a simple threat; it is an unavoidable reality. Who would have thought that the technology which, at the time, seemed as futuristic as a time machine, would be reduced to a relic of the past? According to operators, the shutdown of networks is motivated by safety and efficiency reasons. In short, it is about freeing up space for more modern technologies. How does this affect the aforementioned models? Practically all the features that make driving an electric car a little more pleasant are being discarded.

The disadvantages of the 2G withdrawal

Without wanting to be alarmist, it must be admitted that the list of lost features is rather lamentable: the driving data history will become a mystery of another time, the management of charging current will be as clear as a London fog, and programming the air conditioning startup will revert to the good old button-based air conditioning system!

To top it all off, these city cars don't even have a directly integrated infotainment screen — no, unfortunately, it's the driver's smartphone that plays this role. Just imagine the wails and whines of users unable to boast about remote charging anymore. And all these sobs for what? For a situation that could have been avoided! It goes without saying that the absence of a dedicated screen hits particularly hard on owners of the Volkswagen e-Up!, who don't even have the luxury of lamenting an aging multimedia system — because it simply does not exist.

So, what to do to avoid a true technological shipwreck? Perhaps organize in advance. Drivers should contact customer service with their VIN number in hand to find out if their electric gem is about to plunge into obscurity. That said, even if the car will still function for basic trips, the joys of remote charging, as well as emergency calls, will also be scratched from their equation.

A difficult transition to the future

Needless to say, abandoning 2G will affect much more than our little trio of city cars: operators must position themselves on modern technologies, and all these pioneering electric cars like the Renault Zoe or the Nissan Leaf will also face the consequences. A time of transition? Perhaps. A time of disillusion for users? Without a doubt. And who, I ask you, wants to live in a world where innovation comes with so much inconvenience? Connectivity, for a modern electric car, should be inalienable, not a vain memory of a network now classified as antiquities.

It remains to be seen how the brands will cope with this hard blow. Volkswagen seems to be doing well with strong profitability, looking on with optimism, but what about the small drivers struggling to make their cars work in an increasingly connected world that is strangely disconnected from their previous expectations? So for now, stay alert and prepare, as the future of your electric car may very well depend on the turn of events, and especially on the evolution of technologies.

Source: www.automobile-propre.com

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