I don't think this is the biggest reason. It's because most cars now come with always-online LTE modems and everything is software-controlled. Couple that with

I don't think this is the biggest reason. It's because most cars now come with always-online LTE modems and everything is software-controlled. Couple that with a product VP who wants to make his bones and you get "turn everything into a continuing revenue stream." Doesn't matter whether the car is electric or ICE. IOW, they're doing it because they can. The solutions are: 1. Don't buy these cars. 2. Hack the software and share that knowledge. 3. Install a 50-cent switch to apply power to the seat heaters directly. 4. Disable the goddamned modem and share that knowledge too.