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Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

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Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#101

Post by ta1243 »

HPsquared wrote: post #58
smartmic wrote: post #30

So I have serious thoughts about driving “software defined vehicles” in the future. I mean, and the article has confirmed this sufficiently, the core competence of the established car manufacturers is not software. I don't trust the newcomers like Tesla or the Chinese manufacturers for the time being. In my opinion, the same standards should apply to software in motor vehicles as in the aviation industry. And there c…

There are safety standards for automobile software: ISO 26262. Software for steering or braking systems is of high quality. It's not the same team that does the infotainment.

My car randomly braked today because it thought a car on a side road was pulling out. Not just sound the alarm but actually apply the brakes. Fortunately I didn't have a tailgater behind me.

I disable the "land assist" every time (which often tries to steer me into wildlife or other cars and was clearly not built for use on a single track country roads with hedges and random verges), but this was the first time in 3 years that the "front assist" caused problems.

If that's "high quality", I dread to think what low quality would be.

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#102

Post by Hobadee »

I've long wondered why no car manufacturer has gone for an open source model. Certain things should absolutely be locked down (for example, the airbags and other critical safety features) but there is absolutely no reason the HVAC and Infotainment system need to be closed source. Open it up and let hackers go crazy, then just "borrow" the best options out there for next year's model and everyone wins!

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#103

Post by joezydeco »

gnopgnip wrote: post #99
nicce wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have heard CarPlay royalty is quite big - has anyone some numbers? Edit: maybe my information was old - some sources say it costs nothing

There are no licensing fees or royalties for CarPlay or android auto. It does cost time/money to integrate, like any feature

Can you implement CarPlay now without the MFI chip?

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#104

Post by klysm »

Jiocus wrote: post #10

The author mentions "military grade firewall", as a must have in a vehicle. Genuine question; What's a military grade firewall?

I think anybody using this term has a shallow understanding of network security and just bundles it all mentally into a “thing” that stops all the bad stuff from happening.

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#105

Post by Zigurd »

cosmicgadget wrote: post #4

> These legacy companies have poached big hitters from Apple, Tesla and Google. They’ve sunk billions into it. Part of the problem might be poaching high title people from embedded tech companies while not doing anything for developer compensation.

One of these things is not like the others. Tesla, for good or ill, needed to write a full stack for their EV. Not only did they need to do it, but they did in fact do it and ship it and develop it over several years. Recruiting a Tesla software guy is probably the best choice between these three. And he'll cost you less.

Both Google and Apple have car software, and who knows if Apple actually developed a full stack of the way Tesla did. But anyone can download and play with android automotive. It's unclear what getting one of the android automotive developers would do for you.

Whoever convinced the people writing requirements documents for car user interfaces that they needed to use Unreal Engine to show you what your own car looks like and spin it around in. 3-D deserves some kind of salesmanship Nobel prize. That is the most pervasive useless thing I've seen in a long time.

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#106

Post by mulmen »

ryanbrunner wrote: post #98
mschuster91 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Remove the LTE chip You can't, it's required for eCall which is a mandatory feature in Europe. Unfortunately, it's fraught with issues, especially for the very first eCall modules where the hardware supported only 3G (HSPA)... which is being phased out across Europe together with GPRS (1G)/EDGE (2G), leaving these cars without a working eCall system - and no upgraded hardware modules in many cases.

Wouldn't be the first or the last time that a car has a different build out for different locales - as differences go, that's pretty minor.

Ok but that doesn’t really solve the problem in Europe.

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#107

Post by djoldman »

Somewhere in the last decade I became a curmudgeon who yells at clouds.

I'd like a car with zero screens, no internet connectivity possible, and maybe one audio input and a radio.

Also I drive a manual, which here in the US seems to be almost unheard of.

As an aside, what's next? You can't buy a chef's knife without wifi?

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#108

Post by HappyJoy »

stahtops wrote: post #87
HPsquared wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are safety standards for automobile software: ISO 26262. Software for steering or braking systems is of high quality. It's not the same team that does the infotainment.

How do you square this with the article? It states that consumer reports, (a for profit company providing independent reviews, and not a regulatory body) said the Model 3 stopping distance was not good. Allegedly due to a “bad ABS calibration”. Tesla released an OTA SW update. Why wasn’t the bad calibration and degraded performance caught by regulators testing automobile safety standards? The article also posits that…

Consumer reports is a non-profit last I checked

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#109

Post by paulddraper »

mschuster91 wrote: post #73
kylehotchkiss wrote: post #48

Remove the LTE chip and all functionality related to ads, support wireless CarPlay and android auto, and use physical buttons. You’ll win every award in the industry.

> Remove the LTE chip You can't, it's required for eCall which is a mandatory feature in Europe. Unfortunately, it's fraught with issues, especially for the very first eCall modules where the hardware supported only 3G (HSPA)... which is being phased out across Europe together with GPRS (1G)/EDGE (2G), leaving these cars without a working eCall system - and no upgraded hardware modules in many cases.

> required

That’s…terrible

Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war

#110

Post by mulmen »

KerrAvon wrote: post #68
BobaFloutist wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah all I want is something that holds the phone and gives it a USB-C port that charges it, lets me play media through it, and lets buttons on the wheel control the phone (volume, next/previous, and programmable go forward/back x seconds buttons). USB-C is so powerful, it can do everything Bluetooth does while charging, but for some reason that's just not an option in a lot of cars? Make it make sense.

This is what the Slate truck is promising. I won’t buy it without CarPlay, personally, but you can put your money where your mouth is, supposedly.

The Slate truck won’t have CarPlay because it won’t have infotainment at all. If you want Carplay buy one of the dozens of offerings from companies like Alpine and have it installed at one of the thousands of stereo shops across the country. You’ll get exactly what you want from experts in what you want.
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