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Ford and Bug Labs Shipping OpenXC Beta Kits

Posted by Soulskill on from the hack-my-ride dept.

MojoKid writes "OpenXC is an open source connectivity platform developed in tandem by Ford and open source hardware maker Bug Labs. Announced this fall, the platform is designed to allow developers the ability to use Android- and Arduino-based modules to interact with a vehicle's in-car tech, such as vehicle sensors and GPS units. The OpenXC website succinctly describes the platform as 'an API to your car.' Ford announced that OpenXC beta test kits are now shipping to developers worldwide, including U.S. institutions such as MIT and Standford as well as India's HCL Technologies."

5 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. It's all find and good by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny

    until my car is infected with a worm that takes over GPS navigation and directs me to a pr0n store.

    and it's the wrong one

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:It's all find and good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not really. Right now it's a one-way data comm device - the OpenXC box sits on the vehicle CAN bus, picks out some info (gear, engine speed, vehicle speed, windshield wipers, etc...) and forwards it over USB bulk transfers formatted as JSON. Writes don't do anything that I know. The available API requires an android phone with USB-host support.

  2. Re:So they were the first to hate Americans. by Microlith · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Compensating for something, are we?

  3. What about fault diagnostics ? by Alain+Williams · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Will they make the engine/... diagnostics available through this API ? Currently they charge the repair garages a lot to have the software to be able to see why that fault light is lighting up on the dashboard. The effect is driving small repair shops & one man bands out of business -- good for Ford since it keeps their expensive dealerships in business.

    I expect not, they would not do anything genuinely useful if it damaged profits.

  4. Re:How about getting rid of the Eurotrash first? by The+Dancing+Panda · · Score: 3, Insightful

    From what I've read, you want Detroit to produce a car that has a big engine and high fuel consumption. Doing that was a large part of why they needed to get bailed out in the first place. Gas is 3.50 a gallon and rising. That's not something people that are buying cars can afford anymore. You're getting power and economy. I'm not quite sure why you're complaining, exactly. I had an 8 Cylinder Taurus SHO, and now I have a 4 cylinder VW GTI. It is faster and gets better gas mileage. Why would you want to go backwards?