Hacker News Reader

Comment by lp0_on_fire | Hacker News Reader

Fat Chance. Reading between the lines of US government policy making it's clear that our political betters would prefer a system whereby every transaction can be tracked digitally down to the cent.

View on HN

and this is why I will not be buying an electric car. They are cool technology-wise, but the telemetry in in the car itself combined with the inability to refuel it without giving up your info to the big brother makes me hesitate.

The same telemetry is in your gasoline car.

You can "secretly" refuel an electric car at your own home, or the home of your friend, or at many other places. But unless you know how to make your own gasoline, that's not happening with your ICE vehicle.

So electric cars are an improvement.

A gasoline engine can run without any software and thus be demonstrably free of backdoors, planned obsolescence mechanisms and the obvious tracking/spying inherent with most commercial programs today.

Good call. Just a few weeks ago I bought a gasoline-powered John Deere with 0 software (controlling the engine). It has 21 horsepower and can reach a top speed of 6.5 mph. If you want to step up a bit their 1-series and the base model 2-series tractors have mechanically-injected Yanmar diesels that are seriously wonderful little motors. A lot of 30-45 foot sailboats also use them, so you could literally travel the world with one.

If you wanted something more automotive grade, that ship sailed about 40 years ago. Sorry.

EV convert an old car to get around much of that. ;)

When was the last gas car commercially available that didn’t run without software involved?

As a practical matter I don’t see how what you wrote applies.

And cameras with license plate readers could be at every gas station.

Does your definition of software include the microcontrollers that handle anti-lock braking, fuel efficient engines, and automatic emergency braking?

Just here to mention those portable gas cans

Of course, I would not be buying a new gasoline car either. The point here is with gasoline the car from 10-15 year ago is not much of a downgrade compared to today, whereas with electric it is.

Don't forget they can be remotely disabled for any time or reason, seriously creepy stuff.

https://dailycaller.com/2021/11/29/barr-bidens-infrastructur...

OnStar has been doing that since the 1990s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnStar

Famously(?) depicted in the first Fast and Furious film!

You only pay cash at gas pumps? I’ve got to remember they still have attendants, I haven’t done something like that in 30 years.

Yeah. Maybe it is different in the US. I usually pay cash at gas pumps unless I don't have enough on that day.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com