[danielvaughn]

I'm speaking out of ignorance here, since I have no idea what role a microchip plays in modern vehicles, but obviously it's geared towards software components.

Assuming that's true, then this whole chip shortage would have been a great time for someone to bring a software-less, low-tech vehicle to the market. I've personally been wanting that as our last vehicle completely shit the bed when the digital transmission encountered an error. Plus I hate touch screens in cars.

[sandworm101]

They aren't really what HN people would consider serious microchips. They certainly aren't CPUs. They are lots of basic little chips doing things like regulating an engine parameter or detecting brake pedal forces. One way forwards in reducing the overall demand for chips, the square-inches of silicon needed in a car, is to abandon the approach of scattering little chips all over the vehicle. Instead they could route all the wiring into a centralized control with a powerful CPU running effectively an OS for the entire vehicle. One chip to rule them all. But that just isn't how cars have evolved. History has incrementally made every system componentized and independent.

[galaxytachyon]

Even a "low-tech" car is still very complicated to build. Someone who is good enough to make a very good old style car (like Honda or Toyota), isn't financially incentivized to do so anymore. Such a car would not have any features to justify its brand new price over a used one. And the cost to reserve an entire factory line for this model is just too expensive and probably sale won't recover the cost of doing so.

[pandaman]

Even if there had been demand for a car without basic features people got used to in the past 20 years or so (central locks, power windows, rain-sensing wipers etc.) it would not work because of the emission requirements. The engines that meet the requirements all run software in order to work. Ditto for the required safety features: backup cameras, anti-lock brakes, ESC etc.

[jandrese]

It's generally not possible to meet emissions guidelines without computer control of the engine. Fuel economy also suffers. It's all a tightwire balancing act and the mechanical carburetors of the past are simply too crude to get the job done.

[6510]

The older trains in NL have a computer that reads and displays all kinds of things but it controls nothing. If it doesn't work the train functions just fine.

A linux car seems a fun twist.

[danielvaughn]

This is the only comment that seems to get at what I was talking about. I'm just saying that software is prone to error, it shouldn't be used for critical internal components in vehicles.

[6510]

When you no longer have to worry about killing people development gets much easier. It will just take a different direction.