You can’t buy a battery for the new Renault Zoe. Instead, you have to rent it. And if you stop making payments, the battery’s DRM will prevent you from recharging it. It’s part of a larger product strategy through which the Zoe collects huge amounts of data on your driving and ships it all back to the manufacturer.
Just what the world needed: a car you’re not allowed to own, and which you can’t use anymore if you lose your job and can’t pay the monthly battery rental fee. And if Renault’s battery provider goes out of business, your Renault is bricked.
DRM in Cars Will Drive Consumers Crazy