Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Problem Isn't That New Cars Use Electricity But That They Use Too Many Bits of Electronics

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Oct 08, 2024

"...and proprietary software wrapped in proprietary APIs and protocols all without a modicum of compartmentalisation," an associate adds, "specifically designed to infringe on individual rights, why else would the vehicles upload many GB per hour?"

Smart Electric Cars Aren’t for Me: They’re Just Glorified Phones on Wheels

Hazem Abbas has this new article (one of several good articles he published yesterday; see below for more*). Abbas is a nice person; I spoke to him before (in social control media) and his background is similar to mine; he promotes Free software and his background is medical with programming (his site's name is MeDevel, reflecting his medical-engineer background).

I don't quite like some of the marketing/SEO placements in his site (they lessen the s/n ratio), but some of his personal and authentic op-eds are rather good. "EVs are basically surveillance boxes, smartphones on wheels," an associated reminds me today (we covered this in an old series). "EVs and smartphones and 'televisions' inure people to *very* invasive, illegal surveillance."

I want to quote some of the pearls of wisdom from Abbas. On security aspects: "The rise of smart technology in electric vehicles brings with it unique security threats. Many EVs are equipped with internet connectivity, enabling features like remote start and location tracking. While these features can be convenient, they also open the door to potential cyberattacks. Hackers could potentially exploit vulnerabilities in the vehicle’s software to gain unauthorized access, manipulate systems, or even disable the vehicle altogether. Recent incidents of vehicle hacking have raised alarms about the safety of connected cars. I find it unsettling to think that my car could be vulnerable to cyber threats, especially when it comes to protecting my personal data. The thought of a malicious actor taking control of my vehicle is enough to make me wary of electric cars."

"In conclusion," he says, "while electric vehicles may have their advantages, the downsides are hard to ignore. Frequent charging, slow refueling, security vulnerabilities, and depreciation issues make them less appealing in my eyes."

The problem is that many "modern" cars contain electronics, in great abundance in fact. It's not that they use electricity (many do not), it's the problem of them being overly computerised. This is connected to what Abbas has just covered in his other new articles (below).

_________

* Also, see these other new articles from him:

Opinion - More Smart Tech, More Lazy Humans: Why We Should Limit Its Use and Stay Responsible

Smart Electric Cars Aren’t for Me: They’re Just Glorified Phones on Wheels

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