Open Source Electric Cars — Good Idea Or Not?

thecarchik submits this interesting bit of flame: "Many are keen on the concept of open source electric cars — that is, electric cars where the built-in software can be tweaked, parameters can be changed, and in theory, the cars can be improved. Only it's a really, really bad idea. ... Even carmakers themselves have trouble with software — Fisker has issued a recall and apology recently with its Karma — so allowing average Joe to tweak the car's inner workings seems like a bad idea. Changing the characteristics of an electric car isn't as simple as re-jetting the carbs or swopping out the air filter." Whether software is controlling electric cars or not seems to me beside the point; access to the underlying software doesn't guarantee improvements, but blocking access to it doesn't stop car makers from making software mistakes — it only ensures that those few interested hackers who might be able to work around them have a harder time of it. (Not that tweaking car software is new, or going away.)

Comments

Some things should probably be left alone

[crazyjj]

I'd hate to die in a huge interstate pileup because some dipshit decided to push the overclocking on his car too far and it blue-screened on him at 80 mph.

Of course, many will point out that people have been tinkering with cars since they were invented, and that's true. But generally in the past, it took at least a modicum of skill to work on a car. Letting any douchebag with a computer plug in and play with any aspect of his car's functions is a little more scaring than a grease monkey putting in new headers on his 66 Mustang.

Re:Some things should probably be left alone

[Joce640k]

All the chavs of the world already know a guy who can install an illegal nitrous kit or whatever.

Hardware upgrades scare me more than software upgrades. You're not going to get a massive increase in power through software alone. If they want to make their suspension more 'sporty' then it's their own spines that will suffer more than anything else.

Re:Some things should probably be left alone

[virg_mattes]

This doesn't make a lot of sense, because most of the things that software could do will only be minor tuning of specific systems, and anything that's likely to cause a catastrophic failure will usually stop the car before it starts. Even a blue screen will usually just cause the car to stall, which is unlikely to cause a pileup.

Without hardware modifications, changing the performance of the car to any real degree (other than making it unable to run at all) is unlikely.

Virg

Re:Some things should probably be left alone

[Anonymous Coward]

Probably haven't heard of these projects/companies have you?

* The linux kernel
* RHEL / Red Hat

Believe it or now, (I know its hard to swallow), but the world runs on open-source/free-software

Re:Some things should probably be left alone

[geekoid]

"Usually commercial companies have thoughtful testing and QA process"
HAHAHAHAHAhahhahaa.. oh man. 'thoughtful testing'. You crack me up sir.

" They need to because they would be held liable for things like this, "
It's far cheaper to put a clause in the EULA that says they aren't responsible for damages.

". That's a huge difference to some open source project which is coded by some guy in his parents basement who probably doesn't even have a car but tests it in a simulator."
Strawman AND an Ad Hom attack.

Easy Solution

[Anonymous Coward]

Have it open source, but the car only accept signed code from the manufacturer. People can find bug and patch them, submit back to central place to commit approved changes.

Already exists.

[Lumpy]

People have been building electric cars for decades. The internet is FULL of open source electric car projects.

Did anyone even try google before asking?

https://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=build+an+electric+car&oq=build+an+electric+car&aq=f&aqi=g4g-v6&aql=&gs_nf=1&gs_l=igoogle.3..0l4j0i15l6.66739.69666.0.69806.21.21.0.3.3.0.188.1920.5j13.18.0.

It's the best idea to have open source everything. Building your own car, electric or gas is a wonderful thing and where real innovation comes from.

Someones back yard shed or garage is the best place to come up with better ideas.

Re:Already exists.

[Anonymous Coward]

All of them. Maybe if you took a look you would have saw that.

nonsense

[rubycodez]

interested people already modify the car's computer(s). if your car won't stop when its blue-screened you bought a poorly designd (and perhaps overpriced) piece of shit. all good cars can steer and stop when "blue-screened". and by the way, if you can't steer your car without power steering assist you're a pussy who should stay in the basement. parallel parking with a broken power steering belt is merely annoying

WHO TAGGED THIS HARDHACK?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously? User-end software development now counts as hardware hacking? SERIOUSLY?
 
Let me spell it out. Hardhacks are hacks which require changes in HARDWARE. Like adding a pull-down resistor to a flash ROM to keep your expired satellite service from deleting its own keys.
 

Even carmakers themselves have trouble with software--Fisker has issued a recall and apology recently with its Karma — so allowing average Joe to tweak the car's inner workings seems like a bad idea

I don't know any average Joe who can write enough software to make a light off an MCU blink. And who said that Fisker ever hired competent or experienced programmers?
 
What has this world come to.

Re:Open Source is good because YOU can fix bugs

[cayenne8]

As for private tinkering, It shouldn't be autorised for vehicules on the public roads...

Why not?

It is perfectly legal today to 'tinker' with the software running your car today. You can mess with engine management, fuel/air ratios...etc.

Why would you want it illegal just when changing from internal combustion engine, to battery powered electric engine?