[jehb]

I wish I could say I'll choose an electric car that is built on FOSS so I can actually have the source code to the thing I own.

I don't see that being terribly likely, but the next best thing would be one with software that isn't openly hostile to me. I don't want my car phoning home or being updated without my permission. I don't want my car lying to me, hiding, or refusing to disclose the status of sensors. I don't want an entertainment or navigation system I can't rip out and replace with one of my own choosing.

[elihu]

That's one of the reasons I'm working on an EV conversion right now; I can choose whatever motor/controller/charger/battery/battery management system I like as long as they're basically compatible, and each part just does what it needs to do. There's nothing that phones home, and no reason to have anything like that.

I'd prefer fully open-source hardware/software, and there are projects in that direction, but I'm also okay with using proprietary black boxes that each do their job and can be configured by the end user and can be replaced by an equivalent component from any of a variety of vendors.

Doing a conversion is obviously a lot of work and not for everyone. I wish there was an easier way to get an easily customizable car. There is at least a fair bit of knowledge now about how Tesla and Leaf components work, to the point that people are swapping Leaf motors and Tesla drive units and used battery modules into conversion cars and getting it to work.

[jka]

It'd be completely fair to say that, and I'd join you in saying it. I'm unlikely to want to be a car owner or user, but if & when riding in them, it'd be nice to be in a software environment that's fully customizable and has passengers' interests, comfort and safety in mind to a verifiable degree - with a guarantee that those values won't change along with the board seats at the manufacturer.