Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un...
by Gravityloss on Saturday October 02, 2021 @05:22PM
(#28732204)
Yeah, there's some problems with the approach. But I guess if you had an old one, you could install some open source software, or replace the whole computer. I assume it would cost a few hundred bucks at most. It's peanuts compared to engine, or in electric car, battery work.
The main board on an iphone is taking a really small part of the whole nowadays. https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/JtBACGbyZcYSdBfL.hug... Besides maybe some machine vision things, the computing in a car seems to have very low performance requirements.
Sensors, actuators and controllers etc are another thing then, but they're different.
Re:Chip shortage leads carmaker Opel to shut German plant un...
by nicbou on Sunday October 03, 2021 @03:12AM
(#28735176)
My point is that you won't be able to replace the whole computer if you're disconnected from the supply chain. A few hundred bucks is more than those cars are worth by the time they are exported to those countries.
This might not be a huge concern for the HN demographic, but it is for developing countries operating whatever vehicles the EU deems too dangerous or polluting for their roads. There are no PCBs making their way to Central Asia.
The problem with black boxes is that they work until they don't. In some cases like fuel injection, they're a significant reliability improvement. In others they're a ticking time bomb that can make the entire vehicle unusable.
This a problem in the motorcycle world. You now have bikes that are dead because of computer issues. Small pebbles if you're near a dealership, possibly deadly if you use adventure bikes for their intended purpose.