4 ms·

Since I'm a programmer I'd make the car-o-future modular. A kernel and different replaceable hardware and software modules. It bugs me how hard it is to custo

by ape4 6y ago

Since I'm a programmer I'd make the car-o-future modular. A kernel and different replaceable hardware and software modules. It bugs me how hard it is to customize a car now and the high cost of it.

kazen44 6y ago
the reason for this is obvious. Having a modular car with a high degree of customization would be a huge hassle in keeping cars safe.
- LoSboccacc 6y ago
  car safety come mostly from the chassis, an engine swap shouldn't really impact safety, unless it goes to fill crumple zones, but then it's not swapping engines per se that impact safety, the issue comes from putting too big of an engine. the real issue would be making the thing actually reliable. matings and fittings off the production line aren't the same you can get post assembly on a workshop, and that will affect component durability big time
  - mhh__ 6y ago
    Crash testing isn't the be all and end all. If you put a new engine in and it cuts out on the motorway, for example. The verification process takes a lot of time, even for a racing car let alone a road car that has to pass crash tests as well.
    - LoSboccacc 6y ago
      the assumption would be that modularization would come with standard interfaces, cutting down the need for verification
- ape4 6y ago
  There would be defined interfaces (APIs). Eg easy to add physical knobs to a Tesla for climate control.
namdnay 6y ago
The problem is size and weight. To take a computer analogy, cars are smartphones, not desktop towers.
- supportlocal4h 6y ago
  I sometimes entertain a fantasy where I have a car for which I pull out 75% of the batteries and leave them in the garage for my daily commute. Then for a trip to grandma's, I put them in. Along with the range extender. Oh, and the range extender is just plug-and-play; I can swap in a Honda, or a Briggs and Stratton, or whichever. It could be gas or hydrogen or nuke. Most of the time it just sits under a bench in the garage. This fantasy highlights some of the absurdity of modularity. A car with only 1/4 the batteries and no generator will handle completely differently. It would really be a different car. But "reconfigured" in less than an hour by a complete luddite. And, "nuke"? Really? Why not imagine the owner could just snap in and out between 2wd and 4wd drive trains? Choose to insert one electric motor or two (or four?) depending on the day? What could possibly go wrong? Still, it's fun to fantasize. And maybe some of it could make sense. Like unplugging the driver controls and just moving them over to the left or right seat and plugging them back in. Wait... what?

by ape4 6y ago

Since I'm a programmer I'd make the car-o-future modular. A kernel and different replaceable hardware and software modules. It bugs me how hard it is to customize a car now and the high cost of it.

kazen44 6y ago

the reason for this is obvious. Having a modular car with a high degree of customization would be a huge hassle in keeping cars safe.

LoSboccacc 6y ago
car safety come mostly from the chassis, an engine swap shouldn't really impact safety, unless it goes to fill crumple zones, but then it's not swapping engines per se that impact safety, the issue comes from putting too big of an engine. the real issue would be making the thing actually reliable. matings and fittings off the production line aren't the same you can get post assembly on a workshop, and that will affect component durability big time
- mhh__ 6y ago
  Crash testing isn't the be all and end all. If you put a new engine in and it cuts out on the motorway, for example. The verification process takes a lot of time, even for a racing car let alone a road car that has to pass crash tests as well.
  - LoSboccacc 6y ago
    the assumption would be that modularization would come with standard interfaces, cutting down the need for verification
ape4 6y ago
There would be defined interfaces (APIs). Eg easy to add physical knobs to a Tesla for climate control.

namdnay 6y ago

The problem is size and weight. To take a computer analogy, cars are smartphones, not desktop towers.

supportlocal4h 6y ago
I sometimes entertain a fantasy where I have a car for which I pull out 75% of the batteries and leave them in the garage for my daily commute. Then for a trip to grandma's, I put them in. Along with the range extender. Oh, and the range extender is just plug-and-play; I can swap in a Honda, or a Briggs and Stratton, or whichever. It could be gas or hydrogen or nuke. Most of the time it just sits under a bench in the garage. This fantasy highlights some of the absurdity of modularity. A car with only 1/4 the batteries and no generator will handle completely differently. It would really be a different car. But "reconfigured" in less than an hour by a complete luddite. And, "nuke"? Really? Why not imagine the owner could just snap in and out between 2wd and 4wd drive trains? Choose to insert one electric motor or two (or four?) depending on the day? What could possibly go wrong? Still, it's fun to fantasize. And maybe some of it could make sense. Like unplugging the driver controls and just moving them over to the left or right seat and plugging them back in. Wait... what?