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Comment by pdog | Hacker News Reader

Is the center console software and/or hardware easily upgradable? A smartphone has a useable life of a couple years before either being unsupported (no more software updates) or replaced by a new model. An automobile is usually built to last much longer.

They probably won't license it out to other manufacturers, considering it's such a competitive advantage.

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The car updates itself.

How is this accomplished? Does the car talk to your home router via Wi-Fi? Is there a cell connection?

The car has permanent cell connection (and WiFi, but thats still lacking software support). Theres even an API [0] you can talk to and have it give you GPS coordinates or turn on the climate control.

[0]: http://docs.timdorr.apiary.io/

Well that's some security that better be ironclad!

Definitely, but this is not completely new territory. Mercedes can remotely update these days as well. Not sure about the other telematic systems, but it's all definitely going this way.

It's probably got an infinitesimal surface area. At least, it better. More importantly, the servers Tesla uses to do the updating better be equally secure.

As far as we know, it is. The update process takes place over a Car<->Tesla VPN, so owners have no visibility into the software update process at all.

First I've heard of this; the availability of remote tracking makes me significantly less interested in a Tesla.

Since availability of remote tracking is an important issue for you, I'm curious if you use a cell phone?

Pretty much any car in the same class of the Tesla Model S has remote tracking. It competes against Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc. All provide similar features.

It seems really silly to me that all manufacturers don't do this. If amazon can do it on a $189 kindle and google can do it on a $300 laptop, surely ford or Hyundai could do it on a $15000 car. There's no reason a data link should be a premium feature.

The Chevy Volt has a data link and remote apps for IOS and Android. There's a web API that allows sites like Volt Stats to download from thousands of cars. The Chevy is not a $15000 car, but the prices are dropping. The Nissan Leaf can be bought for under $20k after tax rebates in California.

http://www.voltstats.net

WiFi or cellular I believe (I do not have a Tesla).

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