Technology

In general for me, I think mission critical systems breaks, engine etc should be physically isolated from the infotainment system. Infotainment systems should also prioritize using off the shelf hardware and running stuff like android, also prioritize android auto and apple car play, since these can be updated without automaker input for the most part.

I dream of an open source car. Something simple but reliable, say a legally-distinct 2004 Honda Accord, bog standard, no frills, no detail package options, just A Cheap Car with standardized parts and open source software. It's the only car the company makes, you can buy one for 10k or build your own for 6k out of parts and a couple months worth of weekends, car nerds will fork the software for infinite tuning customization, and it doesn't report your location back to headquarters. Parts are standardized across every car we've ever made so your local parts store will have them in stock. The new model year is the same car as last year, we just built some fresh ones for people to buy new.

I have no way of making this dream a reality. But I dream of it nonetheless. American car culture has gone off the rails, and the number of people I see already driving around old 5-owner Hondas and Toyotas and Buicks tells me that there is definitely a market for a cheap basic car that runs.

You don't need a computer in a car, especially an electric one. Sure, you want some electronics, but do you think 1970s milk floats had computers in them. Today's EVs are basically the same thing with better motors and batteries.

Software control should be kept for luxury aspects of the vehicle. Nothing critical.

Wellllll..... you rip all that computerized shit out, disconnect the ECU out and strap a carburetor on the engine and make the car what it should have been all along, an entirely mechanical machine.

Locked bootloaders should be illegal. Manufacturers should have to provide enough specs that third parties can write code that runs on the hardware.

Without right to repair, there will be planned obsolescence.

My Citroen EV developed an on board charger fault. It wouldn't charge. The part was a "coded part" which meant it had to specifically programmed with my EV's ID by Citroen at manufacture. It took months to finally be fitted and ready. So basically, not only does the coded parts system make service shit, but also means when the manufacturer is done making the part, the car is dead. You can't swap parts between cars and there is no third party parts. It's meant to be about car theft, but it's very convenient it blocks competition and long product life....

Hopefully self driving cars take over the world and all the idiots get off the road anyway. No one will have to be concerned.

I would hope for public transport and cycle paths but the public have repeatedly shown to be against that.

It's not just cars. Anything with electronics (appliances, smarthome devices, healthcare, transportation) that is designed to last more than three years will hit a wall.

The host devices are designed to last 10-15 years, but the electronics will be out-of-date in 3-5 years.

The processor manufacturer will have moved on to new tech and will stop making spare parts. The firmware will only get updated if something really bad happens. Most likely, it'll get abandoned. And some time soon, the software toolchain and libraries will not be available anymore. Let's not think of the devs who will have moved on. Anyone want to make a career fixing up 10-yo software stack? Where's the profit in that for the manufacturer?

So as an end-user, you're stuck with devices that can not be updated and there's still at least 10-20 years of life left on them. Best of luck.

Solution: go analog. Pay extra if you have to. They'll last longer and the ROI and privacy can't be beat.

I've been screaming about this for years and no one listens. My old car will run longer than my new one because I can change the head unit in the old one

Now?

Headlines now are now not even now proofread now

It's not a computer if it can't run doom. And I look forward for Linux variants specific to vehicles.

Phones are supported well beyond their average ownership lifetime.

Are they?

I'm disappointed to find this article is mainly about losing premium subscription features that use mobile internet, which I see as little more than expensive spyware. I don't want them in the first place, and although I believe that some people might, it doesn't seem like one of the important issues around car technology or transportation in general.

The promise is a “smartphone on wheels”: a car that automakers can continue to improve well after an owner drives away from a showroom.

I feel a more worthwhile discussion would be about how a long a “smartphone on wheels” will remain useful compared to one that doesn't depend on continually updated software. How much more often will they need to be replaced? How much more will that cost people? How much more waste and pollution will be generated because of shorter car lifetimes? What sort of right-to-repair laws do we need here?

Seems like a missed opportunity.