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Comment by paranoidrobot | Hacker News Reader

While allowing competition for batteries is a good idea, I fear that it'll go the way of printer ink cartridges or the Keurig.

Sure, technically you can get a battery from whomever you like for your car so long as it's compatible - but the Manufacturer has put DRM on the battery interface. All in the name of safety, you see - they don't want to see their cars catching fire on national news because of some shoddy batteries.

However what it'll mean is that unless the battery maker is willing to fork out a large chunk of cash per battery to the car maker, the car maker won't certify it as compatible.

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I think the point of this rule is that the manufacturer can't put a DRM on the car. India is trying to trying to set up electric cars like it has dealt on mobile devices - the sim is separately sold from the device and any sim from any company can be paired with any mobile phone.

Where does it state that DRM is not permitted? They are just allowing the sale and registration without batteries.

I didn't see anything forbidding DRM. Even if DRM itself wasn't permitted, there's nothing stopping the manufacturers patenting some aspect of the battery system.

At a guess, the connector would be the cheapest and easiest place to come up with some patentable novelty that doesn't actually matter. It could be physical OR an electronic interface of some kind. Then it's a case of "Well, yes, you can license the connector design... for $xxx per unit"

Allowing does not mean mandate right?

> While allowing competition for batteries is a good idea, I fear that it'll go the way of printer ink cartridges or the Keurig.

That came to mind also, though "OEMs to sell batteries separately or with subscription models" might just of covered that aspect.

Batteries are already standard cell sizes, it's the packaging of those cells that makes things interesting. Now will they end up standardising that aspect across cars is the crux here. Certainly be interesting how this all pans out.

Indeed, there would likely come a time where bad actors, rent seekers in financial industrial complex, attempt to consolidate with purpose of increasing prices. It may not come to such a time of Tesla and their battery business reach a scale they're presently projected for; this scenario of course may also require attention for counterpoint mechanisms to sway potential abuse.

DRM stuff does not really work outside US, especially in India. Most electric vehicles here are ebikes or small three wheel lorries. Many use recycled laptop batteries or even lead car batteries.

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