Agreed. Why do all electric cars also need software updates and tons of bells and whistles? Just because I want electric doesn't mean I also want a touchscreen console etc.
If you're curious, I'd recommend reading Moore's "Crossing the Chasm". I'm entirely for electric cars, but I'm part of what Moore would call the "mainstream market". I don't want a car to be amazing and cutting edge. I want it to work unobtrusively and very reliably. That means that I'm going to be hard to persuade and will want to wait for evidence.
That makes me a terrible initial Tesla customer. For a new tech product, you want early adopters, as they will happily spend money on things that don't work very well. You want the kind of people who will, sight unseen, spend $500 on a flamethrower that isn't a flamethrower. [1]
So given Musk's brand and given the size and wealth of the user base you'd need to launch a new car company, it's pretty much inevitable that Tesla (and now its competitors) were going to mine the technophiles who are happy to pay a premium for sealed-box gee-whizzery.
The good news is that the electric car market will be getting more boring over time. There a lot more people in the more conservative market segments, so although we aren't as profitable per unit as the early adopters, plenty of companies will eventually be addressing our needs.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/10/17445838/boring-company-f...
Those like you (and me sometimes) who do worry about this stuff are not the mainstream market at all.
Note also that Moore's model is specifically about adoption of technology. There are plenty of other dimensions to markets, especially ones where the technology is mature. I think you're talking about people who tend to optimize for initial low price, and are insensitive to other concerns. Which again, people vary on based on product and need. E.g., I have a Pixel 3A because it was good value without junkware and other corner-cutting. But my headphones are the <$20 semi-disposable kind.
But they've also been agreeing to buy people's cars back if it's an issue, since selling someone a car with a particular range capacity and then reducing it afterward is obviously problematic.
The Bolt's battery reduction is supposed to be temporary while the final recall fix was worked out. I don't have one so I haven't been following the current news on whether that's been sorted.
In Tesla's case here it sounds worse, because this might be a permanent change where they just said "lol your car is permanently worse now, have fun."
Although in Tesla's case they have been updating the software to restore capacity and charging speeds in many of these cases.
The complete lack of communication is a real problem, though.
Because charging and managing modern EV batteries for optimal range and lifetime is complicated? That's my understanding anyway. If this was easy to do without all the software, why would the manufacturers spend money on it?
They don't sell electric vehicles. Their boffins are working on "EV/AV".
Power windows are such a commodity now I wouldn't be surprised if it's cheaper to make a car with power windows rather than cranks.