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Volkswagen’s plan to create a new car operating system

arstechnica.com

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Re: Volkswagen’s plan to create a new car operating system

#11

Post by codeulike »

LeonM wrote: post #6

I think this is a result of automotive technical progress slowing down. And I don't mean that in a bad way. For the past 100 years, we have been developing better and better cars, with both breakthroughs and incremental improvements in the drivetrain, safety, comfort, reliability, etc. Now though, cars are consolidating. Most car companies only have a handful of 'platforms' on which they build various models. For exa…

I think you're mixing up ICE and electric, which is a mistake. You might have a point about ICE, but there's a ton of hardware improvements to come for EVs.

>Most car companies only have a handful of 'platforms' on which they build various models.

Yeah and VW just spent years creating a completely new platform for EVs. Everyone else is going to need to do that in the next decade or so as well.

> [Teslas] electric drivetrain is at point where there is more for them to gain in software than improvement of the hardware.

Tesla are continuously coming up with hardware changes. Models S and X moved to a completely new 'Raven' drivetrain just back in April.

Alongside that, they do try and find software fixes to improve the existing fleet, which I guess is what you're thinking about.

Re: Volkswagen’s plan to create a new car operating system

#14

Post by hobofan »

codeulike wrote: post #4
qaq wrote: post #2

10,000 people that sounds like an overkill

I don't know, how many cars do they have on the road? Must be at least 50 million or so. So 10,000 coders for 50 million users. And these users are, you know, driving cars around, so its kindof important to get the software right. This sounds like a smart move by VW. Essentially Tesla are showing the way forwards here, being the first automaker to take software seriously.

The number of engineers working at Facebook is in the same ballpark and they have a few billion users. At the same time the number of car platforms is increasingly consolidated and in complete control of the manufacturers.

> And these users are, you know, driving cars around, so its kindof important to get the software right.

That's not something you achieve by throwing more engineers at the problem.

Re: Volkswagen’s plan to create a new car operating system

#16

Post by codeulike »

hobofan wrote: post #14
codeulike wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, how many cars do they have on the road? Must be at least 50 million or so. So 10,000 coders for 50 million users. And these users are, you know, driving cars around, so its kindof important to get the software right. This sounds like a smart move by VW. Essentially Tesla are showing the way forwards here, being the first automaker to take software seriously.

The number of engineers working at Facebook is in the same ballpark and they have a few billion users. At the same time the number of car platforms is increasingly consolidated and in complete control of the manufacturers. > And these users are, you know, driving cars around, so its kindof important to get the software right. That's not something you achieve by throwing more engineers at the problem.

No one said they were all engineers.

Re: Volkswagen’s plan to create a new car operating system

#19

Post by tannhaeuser »

baybal2 wrote: post #5
qaq wrote: post #2

10,000 people that sounds like an overkill

Yes, same feeling. If anything is wrong with Volkswagen, it is not their OS. Reminds me of when Renault bought VAZ, the first thing VAZ did with new money was to boast of making "the first Russian car with a computer." Them adding a computer to a car that falls apart as you drive just made Lada a shitty car with a computer, from a plainly shitty car.

Reminds me of a cheap joke that made the rounds in post-unification Germany:

> Q: What's a Trabi [1] with a pocket calculator glued to the steering wheel?

> A: Knight Rider

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant

Re: Volkswagen’s plan to create a new car operating system

#20

Post by vgoh1 »

LeonM wrote: post #6

I think this is a result of automotive technical progress slowing down. And I don't mean that in a bad way. For the past 100 years, we have been developing better and better cars, with both breakthroughs and incremental improvements in the drivetrain, safety, comfort, reliability, etc. Now though, cars are consolidating. Most car companies only have a handful of 'platforms' on which they build various models. For exa…

I wholeheartedly disagree that automotive progress, on the mechanical side, has slowed down. The ride quality, handling, fit and finish, noise & vibe, chassis rigidity, fuel economy, reliability, have all been improving. Go back 10 years, go back 10 years before that, etc., and you will see incremental improvements. Beyond that, look at how much more "stuff" comes in cars today, but for the same amount of money. That means, as we cram more and more tech in a car, the mechanical bits are getting cheaper. The same is true for motorcycles.

What is really going on, is the improvements in the mechanical design are just not as flashy.

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