Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[Whidbey]

Automotive used to be relatively long-cycle, in terms of validating systems.

Test Engineering takes Time, and Money.

My Mom's generation was fond of saying "Your known by the company you keep". Also from that era "Lay down with dogs, Get up with fleas".

Tech figured out a long time ago that First Mover advantage (Musk the best known example today) trumps most everything, and, why pay/wait for Test Engineering to validate, when customers will do it for free..... Automotive has picked up more than a few bad habits from the Dog Flea Tech Hounds.....

I keep threatening to buy a Model A..... I better hurry up, as even w/o Covid, they are getting $$$. One thing I know I'd like there..... an A is probably easier to get parts for, than some 5-15 y/o modern cars.

I've forgotten the exact # from maybe 10 years ago. I was at an Embedded Hardware seminar, and the presenter referenced the Tens of Thousands of software threads running on a then-modern Audi. What he was talking about was just the Infotainment system.

Consumers literally have no clue about the scale of this complexity... and to be slightly objective about it, I can see why Development Engineering just throws it over the wall to Production today.... they run out of Resources/Schedule/Engineers PDQ.....

While flakey tech irritates me in general, I have a BIG problem with this ^ reality, when it comes to any life-safety systems.

Rgds, D.

That is why software engineering was developed. There are ways to write and verify software that are best practices. This field is evolving. It is almost impossible to exhaustively test a completed application and verify that it will function properly under all conditions. That is why you combine best practices with testing. Hopefully you get close. Then it is off to the consumers for beta testing

 

[grsthegreat]

funny story. i just did a generator service call for one of my long time customers. he asked me if i could also install a 50 amp 240 outlet for future elect car charger. im not doing that anymore, but i gave him a referral. apparently, his BIL came for a visit from Seattle, and since there was no 240 outlet he plugged his elect car into a standard 120 outlet. left it charging for 2 days. when he left to go back home, he had to make 2 stops for recharging car. could not stay parked long enough to top off battery. took him forever to get back home. now BIL is pissed at this guy for not having a tesla charge station at his home.

go figure

 

[MossRoad]

Software engineers?

1970 Nova engine wiring diagram (includes 4, 6 and 8 cylinder motors on the same page).

 

[lman]

funny story. i just did a generator service call for one of my long time customers. he asked me if i could also install a 50 amp 240 outlet for future elect car charger. im not doing that anymore, but i gave him a referral. apparently, his BIL came for a visit from Seattle, and since there was no 240 outlet he plugged his elect car into a standard 120 outlet. left it charging for 2 days. when he left to go back home, he had to make 2 stops for recharging car. could not stay parked long enough to top off battery. took him forever to get back home. now BIL is pissed at this guy for not having a tesla charge station at his home.

go figure

I've heard about making a temporary 240 by connecting two 120 lines from different outlets. I would have to do some research to figure out how to do that though.

 

[grsthegreat]

I've heard about making a temporary 240 by connecting two 120 lines from different outlets. I would have to do some research to figure out how to do that though.

But still, most outlets are only 20 amps. They need 50 amps for car charger. 80 amps for the soon to be ford lightning truck.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[3930dave]

Count me in with the group that believes any fully electric car that could have a burn possibility, emergency need to enter OR exit the vehicle, and/ or be in an accident should have a mechanical way to open the doors. software be ------.

Independent critical thinking....... Or.......

Just go with what Looks Cool, and whatever Lord Musk proclaims......

I happen to agree with you, but much/most of the market today doesn't bother to question these designs.

Rgds, D.

 

[txdon]

funny story. i just did a generator service call for one of my long time customers. he asked me if i could also install a 50 amp 240 outlet for future elect car charger. im not doing that anymore, but i gave him a referral. apparently, his BIL came for a visit from Seattle, and since there was no 240 outlet he plugged his elect car into a standard 120 outlet. left it charging for 2 days. when he left to go back home, he had to make 2 stops for recharging car. could not stay parked long enough to top off battery. took him forever to get back home. now BIL is pissed at this guy for not having a tesla charge station at his home.

go figure

I bet the BIL will be a one time EV owner or a frustrated EV owner. The world is not keeping up with his expectations fast enough.

 

[3930dave]

That is why software engineering was developed. There are ways to write and verify software that are best practices. This field is evolving. It is almost impossible to exhaustively test a completed application and verify that it will function properly under all conditions. That is why you combine best practices with testing. Hopefully you get close. Then it is off to the consumers for beta testing

Humans, even educated ones, are often not good a doing the right thing(s). Part of the Problem - It can take consistent effort and discipline........ Eating Healthy and Getting Enough Exercise just for example......

Boeing killed a pile of people not that long ago with a deficient design. That happened, with plenty of engineers on staff, AND while operating in an industry that is allegedly even more regulated than ground-transport. THAT ^ example of Regulatory Capture in action today causes me significant concern for the ground based sector....

Software (like any form of) Engineering CAN produce solid results, but it's definitely not a given.

Getting it Right the First Time - psychology is different, between hardware and software engineers. Twiddling bits.... just Wash/Rinse/Repeat as many times as needed..... No Biggie..... so the pressure/motivation to Do It Right isn't the same, as there are less or no perceived consequences for bad decisions.

In the olden days, Beta customers were a tiny group of select customers, usually chosen for being well-informed intelligent users.

Time2Mkt (TTM) today..... just turn it loose broad-market may be more the Rule than Exception.... Recent postings about the Mach E are illustrative....

Rdgs, D.

 

[Cat385B]

But still, most outlets are only 20 amps. They need 50 amps for car charger. 80 amps for the soon to be ford lightning truck.

The newer EV’s take what they get. They won’t take more than they’re rated for, but if you’re charging a Tesla from a 30 amp dryer circuit it will just take longer.