Sounds like hell on wheels is going to become common.
For most of its short life, my Tesla Model 3 has aged beautifully. Since I bought the car, in 2019, it has received a number of new features simply by updating its software. My navigation system no longer just directs me to EV chargers along my route—it also shows me, in real time, how many plugs are free. With the push of a button, I can activate “Car Wash Mode,” and the Tesla will put itself in neutral and disable the windshield wipers. Some updates are more helpful than others: Thanks to Elon Musk and his middle-school humor, I can now play an updated array of fart sounds when an unsuspecting passenger sits down.
But Musk is already starting to leave my car behind. In July, Tesla rolled out a version of Musk’s AI assistant, Grok, to its vehicles. Even as a chatbot skeptic, I could see the usefulness of asking my car for information without having to fumble with my phone. Alas, at present Grok runs only on Teslas made in the past few years, which have a more advanced processor to power their infotainment system. My sedan is simply too old.
Cars used to be entirely mechanical objects. With hard work and expertise, basically any old vehicle could be restored and operated: On YouTube, you can watch a man drive a 1931 Alvis to McDonald’s. But the car itself was stuck in time. If the automaker added a feature to the following year’s model, you just didn’t get it. Things have changed. My Model 3 has few dials or buttons; nearly every feature is routed through the giant central touch screen. It’s not just Tesla: Many new cars—and especially electric cars—are now stuffed with software, receiving over-the-air updates to fix bugs, tweak performance, or add new functionality.
I’ve seen EV’s characterized as phones on wheels before, and as an owner that seems apt. I envision a hobbyist community for old EV’s developing much in the same way there are groups that tinker with TRS-80s and Apple 2’s. Once support for a platform ends, someone will find a way to root it and then install such mods as seem cool or fun.
I wonder if in the future, installing your own software in the car will become illegal: given that car software can even control transmission, a car manufacturer could argue that it could compromise safety of the vehicle and pedestrians, an unsafe car framework could mean that someone can potentially program the car to accelerate when frontal sensors detect someone, to be a bit extreme, but don’t tell me its impossible.