Which ones did you own? I've owned both the 1st and 2nd gen Chevy Volt. I have not needed any software updates or patches and my recalls were not serious. The only real maintenance I've done on both cars is for tires and an oil change every 2 years. This is nothing compared to a car with a combustible engine.

Yes the manufacturer pays for recalls, but since it's from one large customer; the dealers probably generate less revenue from the manufacturer vs a horde of consumers