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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

#51

Post by pjc50 »

HNLurker2 wrote: post #32
codeulike wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 dri…

>Alongside that, they do try and find software fixes to improve the existing fleet, I would be scared if a software engineer would make the OS to confirm that I want to brake

ABS has been under software control for years. So long as the safety-critical stuff stays off the CAN bus, everything's fine.

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

#52

Post by detaro »

Etheryte wrote: post #7

The key takeaway for me here is that they want to build an Android-based OS that will run both user applications and, say, your traction control on the same stack. Given the very mixed history of Android security, updates, and more, I simply can't see how this would end well.

I very much suspect that "same stack" here means some blurry "API" and some shared code, not actually the same OS all the way down. Or maybe the same OS at the lowest level, and then running something like Android virtualized for some of the user-facing bits.

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

#53

Post by benj111 »

C1sc0cat wrote: post #28
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…

Volvo appear to have 3 main engines and multiple versions of the same engine. And I suspect that some ICE engines in use are still variants of pre war designs the Chevy Small Block v8 is a little newer starting mid 1950's

On the other hand, look at an actual car from the 1950s.

Yes they have 4 wheels, wind screen, engine, but reliability is massively different, power is massively different, comfort, crash safety, price (for what you get).

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

#54

Post by benj111 »

codeulike wrote: post #11
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 dri…

Just to add to this, ICE cars have been though all the experiments about front wheel/ rear wheel drive, front engine, rear engine, air cooled/ water cooled. Those choices are up for reevaluation, plus a few more (how many motors). Its possible that Teslas choice of motor and battery layout will look as outdated as running boards in 30 years time.

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

#55

Post by C1sc0cat »

tyingq wrote: post #30
C1sc0cat wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Volvo appear to have 3 main engines and multiple versions of the same engine. And I suspect that some ICE engines in use are still variants of pre war designs the Chevy Small Block v8 is a little newer starting mid 1950's

"suspect that some ICE engines in use are still variants of pre war designs the Chevy Small Block v8 is a little newer starting mid 1950's" Perhaps, but I'm not sure how relevant that is. The only pieces that remain somewhat as they were would be the block, crank, and rods. Overhead cams, variable valve timing, aluminum heads/blocks, electronic ignition, fuel injection, ECU, etc...are all newish. If some other design…

Just variants though the British Leyland O series dated back to well before ww2 and lasted into the 80's if not the 90's

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

#56

Post by benj111 »

virtualritz wrote: post #44
lnsru wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You will have some ISO26262 compliance managers, tons of safety managers, many many documentation writers. This software also must be tested with corresponding hardware, couple hundred people will look after this hardware alone. It’s not another app, it’s software tied to hardware and this is always slow and expensive.

How big was the engineering team that did the software for the Apollo guidance computer? Actually, I was unable to find the answer to that question.

The Apollo Guidance Computer had 36,864 16 bit words of rom [1]. I don't think there's really enough there for 10000 people to get their teeth into. Although it was core rope memory, and it's unclear to me whether you would include the weavers in that total.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer

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

#58

Post by naravara »

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 can’t be the only one disappointed in this. Making cars at scale up to modern standards is really hard. Making great software is also really hard. I have serious doubts as to whether a company that does the former can have the culture, management practices, etc. to execute really well on the latter.

The fact that Apple shut down its car division suggests there may have been some issues going the other way.

I wish they’d have moved towards standardizing APIs and “controllers” throughout the automotive world and just encouraged after-market infotainment systems to fill the functionality gap. I just really don’t like that Infotainment ends up having to be a complicating factor in buying a car. It’s hard enough to pick one out that ticks all the functional boxes and feels nice to drive. But then suddenly you get cars that feel great, but neglected the interface design or had a slow UI and suddenly they’ve ruined it.

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

#59

Post by whalesalad »

amelius wrote: post #57

> Senger also revealed that VW Group will be using Android for future versions of the MIB infotainment platform Yikes, can't they find an OS that isn't laden with adtech?

Can you think of a better platform? What's the alternative?
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