Open Source Autos Hit the Streets in Spain

markdowling writes "BBC News has a story about electrically powered tourist cars in Cordoba which provide tourist information in French, English and Spanish as landmarks are passed. The promoter, Alfredo Romeo, calls them Blobjects which he heard described in a speech by Bruce Sterling. The car's tourist guide software is open source - Romeo's quoted reason: 'With proprietary software, innovation comes from the people in marketing. But with open source, innovation comes from the guy who is really in the market. It comes from someone who knows the city.'"

Comments

More at Global Electric Motorcars Web Site

[Hulkster]

For those interested in more details about the GEM car and some MUCH better pictures than the small ones in the BBC article, here's GEM's web site.

Ironically, the Wikipedia Blobject article says it "needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. This article has been tagged since April 2005" - you'd think that all those "hip" Blogject'ers would have made this entry super cool and happening.

Concrete Cam is up and running.

Re:More at Global Electric Motorcars Web Site

[garcia]

Best of all, for all of its innovative design, GEM is suprisingly affordable.

Yeah, the GEM is surprisingly affordable but it certainly doesn't have an "innovative design" as it's just about the same as any electric golf cart with a roof and seatbelts.

So one tiny part of the car is open source

[blowdart]

But that apparently means slashdot can call the whole car open source.

Is there anything factual these days in topics, or is it just astroturfing for OSTG?

pun?

[jshaped]

"The promoter, Alfredo Romeo,..."

did anybody else read this as Alfa Romeo?

Informative Link

[TripMaster Monkey]

The promoter, Alfredo Romeo, calls them Blobjects which he heard described in a speech by Bruce Sterling.

Here's a link to the Bruce Sterling speech, referenced by Alfredo Romeo, courtesy of
boingboing.

Slow...

[BrookHarty]

These GEM's are really niche market. Great for little towns where its 20mph or less, but if you hold up traffic then they are in the wrong place. Just as golf carts in the USA, they are a pain in the ass when given the right of way.

GEMcar.com even says "build the town/neighborhood around the car"..

+1 Insightful?

[Rurik]

'With proprietary software, innovation comes from the people in marketing. But with open source, innovation comes from the guy who is really in the market. It comes from someone who knows the city.'

Is it possible to give a quoted source in an article +1 for Insightful?

Sensationalist Headline?

[Gothmolly]

"open source auto" = "a regular car with a tour guide program which is ostensibly open source".

Big difference, there, "Scuttlemonkey".

No regen brakes

[Migraineman]

I find it difficult to believe that an EV manufacturer would product a series of EV's that don't include regenerative brakes. Another reader commented that this is "a modified golf cart," and I'd have to say he's right. I'd have *some* respect for these folks if they had regen brakes as an option, or had "regen + hydraulic backup." As it stands, it really is just a golf cart with a NEV rating. Meh ...

Worstest word evar!

[Otter]

I've had a series of JE's as new candidates for Worst Word Ever emerge -- I believe that most recently "malternative" knocked off "blogmarklet".

But "blobject" is a simply a horror of Lovecraftian proportions.