When EV startups shut down, will their cars still work? | Hacker News Reader

When EV startups shut down, will their cars still work?

osnews.com

16 pointsaredox7 comments

I clicked through expecting to read an informative article on EV futures. This however is just a blog apparently by some guy who has nothing to add except to tell us his brand preference and echo some vague uncertainty.

I own a Rivian. It’s a best in class EV pickup truck and honestly the nicest vehicle I think I will ever own.

One day the module that controls all the radios died and I lost all wifi and cell functionality. It took a couple weeks for service to fix it. In the meantime the vehicle reverted to a “dumb car”, basically the same as my 2015 Mazda. I unlocked it with the fob, listened to Bluetooth music, navigation through my cell phone etc.

It was still a dream to drive. If Rivian shut down, this is the experience I would expect until such time as I needed parts, then I imagine I’d be looking for junkers or third parties…just like I do with my classic 1960s car.

I will say that it would be nice if these companies made a pact to open their platform if they were going under, but I know the reality is that creditors and holding companies will pick at the bones.

I also know that even established companies will drop a product anytime they wish. Who is to say Ford will always push updates to their cars? We can’t even get that promise with our cell phones.

I’d like to buy a Rivian, but the longevity of the company concerns me.

I wish they had CarPlay and Android Auto.

So many things rely on a data connection that’s imo more important in an EV, such as range calculation.

I’d also like to have the ability to use a data connection of your choice with a SIM or eSIM.

I’d also love to see automotive systems and software be much more open, especially so if a company goes out of business.

I'd be much more inclined to buy an electric vehicle if it was running open software. That way you could host your own servers if the company goes bankrupt. The same is true for tractors, etc...

I would be more inclined to buy an electric car if it ran NO software. Battery. Motor. Potentiometer (aka gas pedal). Another potentiometer (aka brake pedal) Relays and such for turn signals. Easy to understand wires. Easy to modify. Easy to add a computer if I want. This is how it worked with cars in the old days and it was (and is) a great hobby. We stand the cusp of a renaissance of that culture with now even more simple and straightforward technology, and it gets all screwed up with bells and whistles and algorithms and touchscreens and self driving. Why doesn't Tesla make a car like described here. I bet it would be much cheaper, or at least a bit cheaper, given most of the cost is lithium.

Actually that's a great point. The best software is no software. If there was a car like this, I would undoubtedly prefer it.

I tend to regard that kind of technology in something I buy as dead weight. My TV has an internet connection but I don't connect it. I plug my phone into my car. The more things are separate the easier it is to adapt.

The DMCA has a lot to answer for. The sooner we as a society realize it was a mistake the better.

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