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Comment by h0l0cube | Hacker News Reader

Are there yet any EVs out there where you actually have control over the software? Or are there any where you could conceivably root the firmware and use open source updates and 3rd party services when the support timeline ends or the manufacturer folds?

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My 2019 Hyundai Kona electric is a "dumb" car. Does not even have built-in nav. There is no connectivity, no app, no spying. Hyundai can vanish from existence tomorrow and the car would not even be aware of this happening. I don't care about it's software, because there is nothing to care about.

It's just a dumb-ass car that goes when I need it to go.

It comes with (wired) Android Auto, which is probably it's nicest and most advanced user feature.

I was under the impression that fast charging requires an up to date ssl certificate, so a manufacturer going down might affect that. Can’t seem to find a source for this though.

I'm not aware of this. The manual says nothing about it. My kona does max 77kW, but most of the chargers in Ireland is 50kW. Honestly I've bot really had the need for faster than 50 anyway.

I'm curious as to why one might need an SSL cert for charging an ev though?

I can’t find a specific statement that says the car has a certificate that can expire, but it’s maybe related to this: https://www.sae.org/news/2020/08/iso-ev-plug-and-charge-stan...

Edit: this references the car certificate but doesn’t mention expiry periods: https://www.switch-ev.com/blog/basics-of-plug-and-charge

Nissan Leaf Visia owner here. The car is the most basic of 4 trim lines. I installed Nissan app and couldn't connect the car and found out that connectivity feature is not available for my basic car.

A blessing in disguise I guess

My 2019 Kia Niro has some not-worthwhile connected service you can simply say No to. It is then a fully offline car. Assigning ownership involves handing someone the key fob.

I'm thinking that at least with phones you can get an Android and pretty much take it over fully and still have all the services^. I wonder if that will ever happen for cars.

^ Edit: Honestly I don't have any experience with this, but I assume you still need access to Google for notifications etc., so maybe not

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