Of all the tech-related topics we cover here, and there are plenty these days, none are as divisive as Apple CarPlay. Yes, really. Even in an era of widespread concern over “imaginary EV mandates” and backlash over increasingly autonomous vehicles, nothing annoys people more than questions about the future of their projection systems for favorite smartphones.

Drivers everywhere are relying on Apple CarPlay (and its counterpart, Android Auto) after nearly two decades of mediocre in-car software experiences. But more and more automakers have something else in mind: They don’t want to hand over things like software revenue, data, and user experience to outside tech companies, creating a world in which they’re just simple hardware manufacturers for big tech.

To avoid this result, we must develop embedded software as good as that of Apple or Google, then convince buyers that they have really succeeded.

Photo by: InsideEVs

This could prove extremely difficult to achieve. Many car owners are deeply entrenched in the Apple or Google software ecosystems and just want to plug in their phone (or pair it wirelessly) and have access to all the maps, podcasts, contacts, messaging and other features they depend on , all without having to think about it at length. That’s the big advantage of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: they just work, period. And now some automakers are asking drivers to just trust what they can do.

Nowhere is this pivot more evident than in the still small world of electric vans. Want a truck that doesn’t run on gas, but still offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? Here are your options, as of this writing:

• Ford F-150 Lightning
• Chevrolet Silverado EV, in Work Truck (WT) version only
• GMC Hummer EV Pickup

That’s it. Seriously.

The Rivian R1T does not offer CarPlay because Rivienperhaps infamous now, wants to be a software powerhouse fully in control of its ecosystem and user experience. The same has always been true for Tesla, the automotive industry’s software pioneer. And even though some tuners have added aftermarket workarounds for CarPlay In Tesla’s electric vehicles, the Cybertruck does not offer it from the factory and probably never will.

Photo by: InsideEVs

Next, and perhaps most controversial, we have General Motors’ electric vehicles. General manager announced last year that its future electric vehicles will have neither CarPlay nor Android Auto; rather, it works to create native Google-based systems that also offer subscription software features on its own terms. This decision began with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EVso while the Hummer EV truck and Silverado EV WT are oddly grandfathered (as is the Cadillac Lyriq), not all subsequent electric vehicles will have these systems. This means that you can count on the Chevrolet Silverado EV in other versions and the GMC Sierra EV. Since we’re talking about GM, we know that more versions of these and other electric trucks are sure to come, but buying them means doing without CarPlay and Android Auto.

And let’s be real: Of the three trucks listed above that offer these systems, only one, the F-150 Lightning, is what you might call a serious, mainstream choice. We’ve seen some great deals on the Silverado WT, but ultimately it’s a stripped-down commercial truck with very few frills. And the 9,000-pound Hummer EV truck is so big and expensive that its appeal is extremely limited.

(I’ll offer a few alternatives that might be worth looking into if not having CarPlay really is a deal breaker for your next truck: Hybrid options fare better here, like the F-150 Hybrid and the new Toyota Tacoma and Tundra offer these systems.)

2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck Interior

I bring this up for two reasons: first, because we at InsideEVs received an email from a man who was about to buy a GM electric truck, but decided against it out of frustration software. And second, because CarPlay is back in the news following an appearance by GM software chief Baris Cetinok on The edge Popular Decoder Podcast. In this interview with editor-in-chief Nilay Patel, Cetinok, who joined GM before this decision was made, continues to defend the move away from projection systems for smartphones.

Cetinok raises some very reasonable points as to why GM doesn’t want to rely on CarPlay and the like forever, and they have to do with creating “the most deeply integrated experience you can create with the vehicle.” Excerpt from this interview:

We don’t ship devices with monitors only; we are not a surveillance company. We construct comprehensive, beautifully crafted thoughts and beliefs. We say, “This car is designed to do the following things wonderfully. » This is the Silverado, this is what it represents and this is what it does. Let’s go.

When you want to create something this seamless, it’s hard to imagine getting into a car and saying, “Okay, I’m doing highway towing, but let me go to a totally different user interface to choose my podcast. By the way, this is a unique, app-obsessed interface – it’s still hard to believe. So I choose my podcast, I go back to the trailer. Oh, now I can also do the Super Cruise trailer. Let me handle this. Then, wait, now we’re getting to potentially level 3, level 4 levels of autonomy that should be deeply integrated into the communication with the board where the lanes are. But wait a minute, the map I’m using doesn’t really talk to my car.

We already spoke to Cetinok here as he worked to resolve GM’s software issues after sales of the Blazer EV stopped last year. He’s an incredibly smart guy, coming to General after a career spent at places like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and cryptocurrency brokerage FalconX. I think he’s right about a lot of what he says here. Besides the fact that I don’t find Apple CarPlay very useful myselfI think it’s maddening to switch between the smartphone’s projection system and the car’s main menu where you have to deal with things like charging settings, battery preconditioning, socket finding, or features like than Super Cruise, as described above. If electric vehicles in particular are increasingly like smartphones on wheels, how are automakers supposed to do whatever they want while being subject to Apple’s whims?

But this is only part of the equation. The other is a problem of perception and education. And this is where I increasingly think GM is making a mistake by simply not offering these systems in its future plans – and more importantly, because this is GM we’re talking about, its trucks.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV: First Drive

The average car on American roads is now about 13 years old. Cars are better built than ever and more expensive than ever, so it stands to reason that people keep them longer. But it also means that the average car owner has little experience with cutting-edge in-car software systems; for them, CarPlay was a godsend because it got them out of the unwanted infotainment systems they would otherwise have to deal with. Rejecting cars without CarPlay or Android Auto out of hand is a knee-jerk response they have the right to have after years of headaches.

I don’t think the average consumer still thinks of cars as computers on wheels; they just want something that will let them get around without much thought and, ideally, with as little subscription cost as possible. And what guarantee does GM have that its dealers will actually take the time to educate people on the software’s complex new features?

I don’t mean to be condescending to the “average” car owner. I’m just saying there’s a big gap between what automakers want to do with technology and where most people are right now. But if companies like GM want to appeal to a more tech-savvy consumer, then that consumer is also going to have questions about how their personal data is used. Apple isn’t always a good performer, but it’s better than most on this front. And GM is already in legal hot water how it collected and shared driver data with insurance companies. When we hear from EV buyers, this concern comes up more than you might think.

Ford Lincoln Digital Experience

I don’t know what the answer is here except to say that it is difficult to tell the consumer that they are wrong about something after they get so used to doing things a certain way. Perhaps it’s trying to mix both native systems and systems that work closely with CarPlay, like Ford And Porsche make. And as with everything else in the world of electric vehicles, education is essential where it is currently lacking.

But if an automaker really wants to do this, it has to accept that this move will drive buyers away to other brands – and that’s happening right now, whether they like it or not.

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