Nissan is setting an alarming trend with their electric cars

At a certain point, your smartphone may no longer accept the latest software update from Apple or Google. Your laptop could get so cranky after four or five years that it is easier to replace it with a new one than spend hours staring at the blue screen of death. Even your toaster or your iron is not going to run forever. We are all used to the idea of built-in-obsolescence. Even so, the news that it can now extend to our cars, with Nissan switching off software for older models, is alarming – and will make selling more battery-powered vehicles even harder.

The Nissan Leaf was one of the pioneers of electric vehicles (EV) in the UK, selling thousands to early adopters. And yet, this week the company has been accused of ‘dumping its pioneers’ after it emerged that the app that offers functions such as remote control of the heating will soon stop working for older cars.