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It also appears to be a vehicle interface designed by someone who hasn't read Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 101, with its specific, prescriptive req

by wsh 14y ago

It also appears to be a vehicle interface designed by someone who hasn't read Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 101, with its specific, prescriptive requirements, including the "confusing icons of traditional cars" that the designer intends to eliminate, an "MPH" or "km/h" label for the speedometer, and as noted in another comment, a display of the transmission shift position sequence. The idea of a "built-in digital manual that guides you through maintenance and emergency situations" is also nothing new; it sounds like the ECAM system found on Airbus airplanes for many years and would be equally inapplicable to most automotive emergencies. If there is a serious problem with a car, the driver should pull over and stop, after which there is plenty of time to consult the index in a printed manual, which doesn't depend on the electrical system and can be used outside or away from the vehicle, if needed.

rdl 14y ago
What I would like is nav integrated with vehicle fault reporting more closely (not done since nav is usually an option). If the serious check engine happens (flashing vs solid), some indication of where I could get service would be nice, and maybe for some faults (coil pack on i4), a 35mph or slower route to destination. Being able to inform the driver about "absolutely non drive able fault, must call for flatbed recovery vehicle" vs "slow speed for 3 miles is ok" would be nice. Cars really should have novice (rental) and expert (personal car) mode. I think people spend enough time in their own personal cars to get to know most systems, but if I am renting or borrowing a car, a standard UI would be nice -- even stupid things like finding parking brake, 4 way flashers, headlight controls, etc are sometimes a pain.
- camtarn 14y ago
  Ack... Fat fingered the downvote button, sorry :( I really do like the idea of a beginner mode for a car: getting into your rental car, and having it quickly run through 'wipers are here, they work like this; parking brake is electronic and turns off automatically' would be awesome. Also, even for people who use their cars regularly, they might still use a Siri-like interface where you could ask 'It's snowy, what should I do?', 'I've got a trailer connected, how do I adjust my headlight beam height?' or 'Where are my fog lights again?'

by wsh 14y ago

rdl 14y ago

What I would like is nav integrated with vehicle fault reporting more closely (not done since nav is usually an option). If the serious check engine happens (flashing vs solid), some indication of where I could get service would be nice, and maybe for some faults (coil pack on i4), a 35mph or slower route to destination. Being able to inform the driver about "absolutely non drive able fault, must call for flatbed recovery vehicle" vs "slow speed for 3 miles is ok" would be nice. Cars really should have novice (rental) and expert (personal car) mode. I think people spend enough time in their own personal cars to get to know most systems, but if I am renting or borrowing a car, a standard UI would be nice -- even stupid things like finding parking brake, 4 way flashers, headlight controls, etc are sometimes a pain.

camtarn 14y ago
Ack... Fat fingered the downvote button, sorry :( I really do like the idea of a beginner mode for a car: getting into your rental car, and having it quickly run through 'wipers are here, they work like this; parking brake is electronic and turns off automatically' would be awesome. Also, even for people who use their cars regularly, they might still use a Siri-like interface where you could ask 'It's snowy, what should I do?', 'I've got a trailer connected, how do I adjust my headlight beam height?' or 'Where are my fog lights again?'