Over the weekend, a trip to the Californian boonies by Guardian journalist Kari Paul turned into a cautionary tale about the perils of the connected car and the Internet of Things. Paul had rented a car through a local car-sharing service called GIG Car Share, which offers a fleet of hybrid Toyota Priuses and electric Chevrolet Bolt EVs in the Bay Area and Sacramento, with plans to spend the weekend in a more rural part of the state about three hours north of Oakland. But on Sunday, she was left stranded on an unpaved road when the car's telematics system lost its cell signal. Without being able to call home, the rented Prius refused to move.But I'm sure that the software in autonomous cars will be able to anticipate problems like this and figure out a way around it. Suuuuuuure.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
So what does your "smart" car do when it can't get on the 'net?
Rental car won't start because renter drove it to a park in the boondocks. Rental agency recommends she sleep in the car and see if it starts in the morning:
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8 comments:
Schadenboner
I had to get a relatively new vehicle with an electronic Cthulhu under the hood controlling everything. But at least I didn't get one that communicated through the Aether with other corporate deep ones.
Having a vehicle so 'connected' that it can't work off the net is just plain stupid. So much for use in an emergency, or use toodling around the great outdoors. And anything that is that connected to the world is a prime target for hacking.
Then again, the article talks about Priuses and Volts, so that's just as Miguel above said, very schadentastic.
Who in their right mind says 'Let's rent an E-Car to go camping!'? Oh, never mind. Stupid vegan people who think you can milk an almond. My eyesight is so bad anymore I can't see the teats on the almonds, and the nuts my grandma used to grow were obviously not some genetic mutated cow-nut with udders.
Don't worry.
Criminals will never leverage that to trap people in urban kill-and-rob zones.
Because we have Top Men working on preventing it.
Top.
Men.
I don't like the idea of an automobile that can keep you in your lane, brake when it thinks it's necessary, and can be hacked.
Most car rental agreements have a "no dirt road" clause that is often overlooked. Yes this reveals a weakness, but sounds like piss poor planning by the driver as well.
My Hagerty Insurance website just had a good article on the young lady's troubles. Quite interesting.
I'm going to drive my `05 Honda until the wheels fall off.
Comrad Msfit:
If it falls off on a freeway type road, look for it 1/4 to as much as 1/2 mile ahead of the vehicle, resting against a wall or guardrail. The only difficulty is getting a jack under the vehicle when it is missing a wheel assembly, as it will be sitting much closer to the ground. remove one lugnut or bolt from each remaining wheel, to re-secure the lost wheel. Proceed to a parts store to replace the missing hardware.
I retrieved many lost wheels when I patrolled CA freeways. BTW, it could end up on either side of the direction you were traveling, and occasionally the opposite side after bouncing over the center divide rail or wall. THAT scenario is when things can get dicey, as closing speeds when hitting a car can be lethal.
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