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OnStar Gives Volt Owners What They Want: Their Data, In the Cloud

Volt owners will be able to brag about their mileage more easily now thanks to OnStar. "GM rushed work on a new API to get a popular Volt owner site back on road. You probably don't think of your car as a developer platform, but Mike Rosack did. A few days after buying his Chevy Volt, Rosack started slowly mining his driving data. But he eventually revved up his efforts and created a community platform for drivers to track their own efficiency. Today more than 1,800 Volt owners compare stats with each other, jockeying for position on Rosack's Volt Stats leader board."

10 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. developer platform by Trepidity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You probably don't think of your car as a developer platform

    Sadly, you might soon have to, in the sense that you'll need to [pdf] keep your security patches up to date...

    1. Re:developer platform by verifine · · Score: 5, Funny

      Three buttons on the dash: Ctrl, Alt and Del

  2. Re:But, by ThatsMyNick · · Score: 4, Informative

    You get a discount for sharing it with your insurance company.

  3. And there is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yet another reason i'll never buy an onstar equipped car. Hands too much control to people you already paid once...

    They can pull the plug on this at any time. or start charging for the data. or anything else scummy you can think of.. and you can do nothing about it.

    I like computers. i really do. but i really dont want them in my car... or connected to the 'cloud'. it's stupid. If you're going that far where you need updates and connectivity for your car and official updates the dealer must install. (prius)

    You're better off just renting a car. You're going to be paying forever to drive. They might as well be responsible for way more crap than what they are now.

  4. Nissan does something similar by swillden · · Score: 4, Informative

    Nissan has a stats site for Leaf owners that compiles stats, ranks efficiencies, etc., for those who opt in. It's fairly interesting, and it does provide some motivation for driving more efficiently, which isn't a bad thing. The top drivers must only drive downhill, though. They get 22+ miles per kWh, which is insanely good.

    The Nissan site is provided and operated by Nissan, though, rather than a fan.

    There are a lot of cool things that can be done with a highly-computerized car that has its own 3G Internet connection and GPS. They're barely scratching the surface. It really makes me want to hack my car, but I don't want to void the warranty.

    --
    Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    1. Re:Nissan does something similar by aurashift · · Score: 5, Funny

      but I don't want to void the warranty.

      Hand in your nerd card.

  5. hope they don't bill for data roaming by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 5, Funny

    hope they don't bill for data roaming when you drive out side of the USA.

  6. Re:But, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You mean a surcharge for not sharing it with your insurance company.

  7. Re:Just stay out of the fast lane. by Nerdfest · · Score: 5, Funny

    That is the second worst poem I have ever read.

  8. GM finally gets it by voss · · Score: 4, Interesting

    enviromental friendliness...who cares
    saving the earth...yeah whatever
    nerd bragging rights and a leaderboard with a technocar----yeah baby. ;-)