Let’s start with the fact that this is not a change. Our cars always had AT&T, and they come with “one year” of free data. That’s always been the expectation. And it’s no different from Tesla or most other car companies with cars that have cellular functions.
As far as we know, Lucid hasn’t started charging folks past that first year, but they will. Data costs money.
Second, no one will be forced to subscribe to data after the free period expires. Updates are available over WiFi, and you can always download offline maps. I’d recommend paying the $5 or $10 per month for it, just because it’s so much more convenient. And what’s another $100 per year on a $100k car in the scheme of things? But you do you.
All this announcement was is a public statement that Lucid plans to stick with AT&T as their provider. Which means they can probably lock in a decent rate for data. That’s it.
Please, let’s not turn this into another panic thread filled with FUD and speculation.