At an electronics panel held yesterday in Detroit, BMW said it is developing an open-source platform for electronics that would allow third-party suppliers to develop plug-and-play applications for its vehicles. This revolutionary move would allow the software industry to contribute code for in-vehicle infotainment systems, opening up a whole new world of possibilities, BMW says.
BMW was the only automaker involved in the panel – which included Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Honda – that said they will have an open-source platform in a vehicle of 200,000 or more units within the next seven years, Automotive News reports.
BMW co-developed the open-source Linux system with Wind River Systems and Intel.
“We were convinced we had to develop an open platform that would allow for open software since the speed in the infotainment and entertainment industry requires us to be on a much faster track,” Gunter Reichart, BMW vice president of driver assistance, body electronics and electrical networks, said at the event. “We invite other OEMs to join with us, to exchange with us. We are open to exchange with others.”
GM and Chrysler also expressed strong interest in developing an open-source electronics system. Honda and Ford, which use Microsoft-developed systems, were a little more cautious.
“We also need to make sure who will be responsible for such an open system architecture,” Honda’s Toyohei Nakajima said. “Maybe we need to learn more about that from BMW.”
Nakajima was concerned that a strong firewall would need to be included to prevent users from unknowingly altering other systems in the vehicle.
10/24, 10:27 AM
posted by:
rds130
Any and every firewall can practically be defeated given enough time and work, but fortunately those who could “unknowingly” alter the system, would never do so anyway. I say bring it on and look forward to the future possibilities here. This is an interesting development.
10/24, 10:50 AM
posted by:
howsmydriving
We’re losing the essence of enthusiast motoring with all this crap.
10/24, 10:52 AM
posted by:
Got Handling?
^ very true
10/24, 11:04 AM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
Personally speaking, I really don’t feel that I have had a fine driving experience unless I can play World Of Warcraft, or maybe Pong, on the nav screen while talking on my cellphone and reading the paper doing 75mph. Thank God the car tells me where I need to go or I’d otherwise have to pay attention to the road and reads signs & stuff.
10/24, 11:05 AM
posted by:
Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3
@mayer_ray_nagin, you forgot your USB powered coffee warmer.
10/24, 11:19 AM
posted by:
jonmiles
^lol. Seriously though guys, this has a lot of potential. BMW has allready shown thier commitment to the pure driving experience with the 1-series, so let them push the envelope in other areas as well…
10/24, 12:09 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
The end of driving is near.
Last night, my 5-year-old daughter told me that she wants to drive race cars when she grows up. I shed a tear of happiness.
10/24, 12:59 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Last night I drank many 9% Quebec beers in a pub with my son on his 19th birthday (that would be the ‘legal’ drinking age here). I would have appreciated a car that could have navigated the route home on its own.
10/24, 1:29 PM
posted by:
F3INT))AP3X
Everybody hates Idrive, I think BMW has given up trying to make it better and moved on to letting someone else help.
10/24, 2:30 PM
posted by:
Scarface03
I think this makes a lot of sense. Significant strides in in-car electronics usually corresponds to the introduction of newer generation vehicles. A lot can happen during that 5 to 7 year wait. My ‘05 Acura TL came with a tape deck, but no auxiliary input. There’s a whole lot of “missing the mark” involved with that set up.
Selling a flexible electronics platform has the potential to make a lot of consumers very pleased with their car purchase.
10/24, 2:38 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
Great move, BMW! Open source is the way to go.
10/24, 4:07 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
How about making a push for a better interior design … that thing looks like SHIAT.
10/24, 8:19 PM
posted by:
cereal
Funny idea- a car getting hacked.
-eat your cereal
10/25, 1:27 AM
posted by:
beatusmongous
Cereal, not funny, but scary as hell.
-eat your lima beans.
10/25, 2:05 AM
posted by:
The Stig
Good move. Could not agree more.
10/27, 12:01 AM
posted by:
cereal
@beatusmongous-
Scary as hell for the bimer driver. Yes.
Once it makes it down to a majority of cars, yeah, I’ll start worrying.
10/27, 6:21 AM
posted by:
KuroSyn
*looks at the open straight road ahead that runs kilometers* “what stupid intersection in a 100meters?”
1 week later…
*NEW UPDATE AVAILABLE FROM THE CarApp Store for Open NavPro, Bugs & Fixes… The navigator may at times mistaken the distance of upcoming turns. The navigator sometimes says to stop when no stop is required. The navigation screen goes blank if you hold the Create Route button too long. Please see the PDF file for a detailed list of the fixes in this new version*
I can definitely see this^ happening.
Future investigations of accidents would be interesting too… “So captain, the car seems to have had an Open Source AWD Control system installed”
But to be truthful, I can see other more sensible uses for open source in cars, lets not forget the integration of our mobile devices (which are RAPIDLY becoming EXTREMELY advanced) and multimedia features in our cars beginning to use some open source approaches to controlling them. I mean, I’m not satisfied with the multimedia handling of Benz’s onboard system… kinda pisses me off at times.
10/27, 10:01 AM
posted by:
JohnnyBlazE
Gnutella here we go…
Geeks unite…
Linux running on your BMW, wifi built in… piggy back on the move to unsecure WLANS, spoof mac address of the WiFi unit, hack the planet… OMFG can we like call it the Gibson WiFi HiFi…?!
10/27, 10:03 AM
posted by:
cwa107
Now, how about an open-sourced BUS for plugging peripheral devices, eliminating the need for hacking into wiring harnesses and potentially doing damage to a vehicle’s electrical system.
We’ve had USB for many years now, it’s time to develop an automotive USB system that interfaces into every facet of a car’s electrical system.
Want a new alarm? Easy, plug a box into the under-dash USB system and wire-tie it out of the way. Want an iPod adapter? Again, just plug it into the bus and be done with it. Remote starting? Simple – plug a module into the underside of the dash and it’s yours.
The way I see it, the proprietary software is the tip of the iceberg. The fact that cars are closed-source in terms of hardware is a much bigger problem.