Hardware companies trying to build software, without actually understanding software. There's a reason why Apple, Nvidia, Tesla got where they got to.
Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
301–310 of 848 posts
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#302Earlier quoted context omitted.
A stupid requirement. Consider this. Almost every car on the road today has an unsecured bus going back to like the 1980s. However you need to actually access the car to do something malicious so the threat vector is zero; since if you have access to the car you can also just cut brakes or put in a pipe bomb. The only reason why this paradigm changes in the EV era is because the insistence on having EVs phone home. N…
> Almost every car on the road today has an unsecured bus going back to like the 1980s. However you need to actually access the car to do something malicious See [1] from 2023, where popping the headlight gives access to the bus. Lack of internal security then gives a way to steal the car. The threat just isn't the same as the one you are modeling. Security will come eventually, if only to prevent bad publicity. [1]:…
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#303Where is the Apple car? Was the project canceled, and why?
Apple had a secret test track in Arizona, with buildings made from shipping containers. You can see it on Google Maps under "Chrysler Oval Track".
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#304The author mentions "military grade firewall", as a must have in a vehicle. Genuine question; What's a military grade firewall?
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#305Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mazda has done a great job at this so far, very minimal screen which automatically just shows CarPlay, and buttons for all the normal car stuff, which also isn’t overdone. The only flaw is the scroll wheel to interact with the screen, which is just slightly too clunky in apps with too many options
Mazda also managed to squander a huge brand and structural advantage by falling into lockstep behind other Japanese automakers in underinvesting in EV manufacturing infrastructure. Now they have to rely on their JV partner Changan to lead the way in producing EVs, giving up the core structural strengths that Mazda previously had in designing and building their own components - including software and controls, which i…
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#306Earlier quoted context omitted.
I seem to remember Jeep saying manual window winders were actually more expensive once you factor in the costs of having them as an option given how cheap electric ones are when they dropped them for the new Wrangler. Might still be cheaper if you only manufacture with them and don’t offer electric but the price difference can’t be that high.
Is it about price or reliability? I never had a manual window winder fail to work, but electric window buttons breaking or the motor getting stuck (e.g. in icy conditions) has happened at some point in every car I've owned. The convenience factor hugely outweighs the rare failures for me, but I could see why someone buying a Wrangler for its intended purpose might actually prefer the manual option.
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#307Earlier quoted context omitted.
A stupid requirement. Consider this. Almost every car on the road today has an unsecured bus going back to like the 1980s. However you need to actually access the car to do something malicious so the threat vector is zero; since if you have access to the car you can also just cut brakes or put in a pipe bomb. The only reason why this paradigm changes in the EV era is because the insistence on having EVs phone home. N…
The threat is not exactly zero. In some cases, thieves can get physical access to the bus from outside the car, and then inject messages to unlock it, start the engine, and drive away: https://kentindell.github.io/2023/04/03/can-injection/ Sure someone in that situation could also "just cut brakes or put in a pipe bomb" but car theft is a lot more common than assassination, at least where I live.
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#308Earlier quoted context omitted.
Slate have done this and it's really quite compelling. You even get window winders. https://www.slate.auto/en/personalization
I was quite interested in this until I realized: * Bed size is just five feet * Towing capacity is just 1000 lbs * Not AWD None of these can be retrofitted after the sale. Where I live, it'd struggle to be called a "truck" with these limitations.
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#309Earlier quoted context omitted.
There could be a sort of "ARM" or "Android" but for cars. Come up with few general hardware modules, enough to replace the head unit, body controllers, ECU, climate control, and ideally driving automation, and software to run them. Everything minus safety modules like the airbag controllers, and then license them under Fair/non-discriminatory terms. Then, a variety of automakers get access to core functionality and c…
> "Android" but for cars. Is this not just Android Automotive? A lot of Volvos use it, it’s a lower-level OS type thing that sits below Android Auto or CarPlay.
Re: Car companies are in a billion-dollar software war
#310Remove 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.
Removing LTE would remove key features that drivers want, including real time traffic updates, remote controls and streaming media? What's your objection to LTE?
If you're gonna build that crap in at least go back to a standard-sized replacable module.