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Auto Industry's Fastest Processor Is 128Mhz
afabbro writes "GM stated that the 2011 Buick Regal will have the auto industry's fastest processor: 128Mhz, and 3MB of flash. 'Three meg of flash memory and 128MHz clock speed doesn't sound like a lot in terms of computing power until you consider the environment these controllers have to live in. Our controllers are made to operate reliably up to 260 degrees (127C) and down to -40 degrees (-40C) for the life of the vehicle.'"
Environment similar to mil spec, durability like industrial, prices like consumer products.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
It's a special use, being more like a very powerful microcontroller, it only needs so much power, and it has to last. While the average life of a car is nearly 10 years, it's not so terribly uncommon to keep a car going for almost 20 years, in contrast very few 20 year old PCs are still in regular use, I think a lot of people would be very hard pressed to find a ten year old computer being used daily, and PCs don't have to worry much about environmental factors.
If the system is flex-fuel, it has to be able to take any range from 0% (occasional exemption from ethanol) to 85% ethanol. There is no control over what what the next tank will have, and you'll have some residual, making your ratio almost constantly varying.
I thought most of ethanol's benefits were pretty reasonably debunked, at least corn ethanol anyway.
I hope that's 27 city, because jesus christ, either there's something wrong with your car or there's something wrong with you.
His 1952 MG also crumples up like a soda can in an accident, whereas your Corolla is stuffed to the gills with crumple zones, traction-control gizmos, and eight thousand-odd computer-controlled airbags. On the other hand, it also weighs twice as much as the MG and handles like it, so good luck avoiding an accident that he could.
On the bright side, you probably don't have to keep a fire extinguisher in your car to put out the daily wiring harness fires.
You forgot to mentio is also has Positive Earth. As much as I miss my MG, I don't miss the English "Engineered" electricals.
While the engine is running though? Show me someplace that gets 260F for that high end. It's talking engine temperature, which will likely stop working at low enough temperatures regardless of cpu when things actually do freeze...And when the engine is working, will keep warm enough to run properly anyway.
And didn't have to compete on commodity cost. Your point?
Really? This is your response to my comment on ethanol? I wonder if you're trolling. But anyways, I'll bite in case you aren't. For instance, the main reason corn ethanol is even financially palatable is because of US government subsidies.
Corn ethanol's environmental benefits are shaky at best if you're interested in reduction of CO2 emissions.
When you factor in all the energy needed to raise the corn and make the ethanol, it makes very little new energy, some estimates suggest that there is no new energy being made, basically as little as one gallon's equivalent being made from one gallon's equivalent burned to make that gallon.
Other plants can be used to make ethanol, but it's not being done widely. When cellulosic ethanol is workable on a mass scale, then the value of ethanol production might change to something that's of a net benefit to society.
And how is the environment of a built-in GPS really significantly different from the ECU? [...] Perhaps it's not expected to be fail-safe...
But that's the whole point, isn't it? Your vehicle isn't a useless lump of metal and plastic if your GPS unit fails.
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
On the other hand, it also weighs twice as much as the MG and handles like it, so good luck avoiding an accident that he could.
Handling might not necessarily follow greater weight like that - a lot of old cars had quite horrible one; suspensions/brakes/etc. greatly improved over the decades, plus now some electronic aid might help you out.
One that hath name thou can not otter
I agree with AC - name one current (2010 or 2011) American vehicle (I'll even grant trucks, including the over the road tractors!) with a carburetor. As a matter of fact, name one made since 1999 ...
But the 386 does a specific task. It's adequate for the purpose. Might as well stick with it.
"His 1952 MG also crumples up like a soda can in an accident"
His 1952 MG also has a chassis, so I doubt it will crumple like a soda can.
Chassis, something modern cars do not have.
The environment may not be significantly different, but think for a moment about driving your family car down a mountain road. Would you trust your family's life to a device that was manufactured to be sold for ~$150? Compare the result of a GPS device failing during this scenario vs. the ECU that controls ABS, stability programs, traction control, etc.
I for one am glad they are not using the latest and greatest in electronics for automotive ECU's. You need something PROVEN to be reliable, something that ALWAYS works. You absolutely do not need the fastest available microprocessor in these systems. Every microprocessor has faults and errata, and these need to be well-known so that faults can be handled in such a way as to not crash the system. You must also consider that the more complex and large any system becomes, the more time (and money) it takes to PROVE the system can handle faults without crashing. Debugging a system with 3MB of memory is far easier than one with much larger amounts.
Reliability is FAR more critical in ECU's than it is in your average desktop. If a program crashes on my desktop, at worst I've lost a bit of work since the last time I saved my data. If an automotive ECU crashes, it puts people's lives at risk.
Summarising, a modern turbodiesel is inherently about 25% more efficient than an equally modern gasoline engine. With old and crude designs like, say, carb hemi V8s, the Diesel has more like a 2:1 advantage. The remaining 5% comes from the fuel.
Sheesh, kids today. Get off my lawn.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
I think the whole point of safety systems on cars are for the majority of drivers on the road that haven't been through any experienced training and/or haven't had to experience wheel lock up or a slide in a car.
To add, I had a teenager pull out of his driveway yesterday with me about 150 feet away. I was on my motorcycle, and it's the first time that I somewhat did a panic stop and mashed the rear brake a little hard. Since I've taken the motorcycle safety course - and was given opportunity to do the same on the smaller bikes - I feel that I had the bike under good control, even though the squeal of the tire caused me to jump a little. In this instance, where my mind isn't truly thinking and my body is just reacting to "I don't want to hit this kid" ABS would have assisted in not sliding the rear end of the bike.
Even a somewhat experienced driver/rider (I have about 2500 miles under my belt on a bike, countless more in automobiles) has situations to where computer aided vehicle control will help. Are they required? No, but they definitely make you feel more comfortable if you find yourself in a situation that you don't expect. Not having ABS / traction control or stability control in a vehicle isn't a bad thing, and to reinforce your statement somewhat - you just have to acknowledge that you should go slower and be more cautious. The variable that you cannot control though is other drivers unexpected maneuvers when traveling no matter the vehicle.
Karnal
1. The computational needs of a car stays constant from the day it rolls off the assembly line till the day it's crushed. To compare it to a PCs is a very silly. These automotive computers are purpose built with an emphasis on Real time processing over high throughput. They don't become obsolete so long as the auto continues to run. And OS upgrades and new software are never a concern. Which is why my 20 year old cars EFI computers still work despite the orders of magnitude increase in desktop PC power that has happened in the meantime.
2. Flex Fuel vehicles use a sensor that can detect the level of Ethanol in the fuel system. Adjusting the air fuel ratio accordingly.
Yes, I *do* ignore the label issue, because I simply don't care. By 'case-by-case', I consider on a case-by-case basis whether I like individual artists, regardless of what label type they chose to go with.
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.