[dalke]

You started with jailbreaking then transitioned to malicious software update - aren't those two different things? While it's possible that bad software would cause dangerous problems with the car, it's also possible that a bad repair job or bad part will as well. Yet we allow unlicensed mechanics, like the owner of the car, to do things like replace the brakes.

While you may not be comfortable jailbreaking your own car, you might also not be comfortable replacing your own brakes? Do you think my replacing the brakes of my own car would also be sketchy? I am a better programmer than I am a car mechanic. Also, after-market mods which reprogram the engine have been around for a while, so it's not like people do things like this already.

[taternuts]

I'm assuming the critical stuff is pretty walled off, but if I were Tesla I'd be nervous about someone potentially poking around with anything like that because they think they know what they are doing.

[dalke]

Oh, I agree. But wouldn't any existing car company also be worried about aftermarket mods to the car they sold, by people who "think they know what they are doing"? What marks Tesla's cars as significantly special or error-prone?

As important, how do you distinguish between a valid concern about the easy of making a stupid error, vs. designing the system to be more resilient to those sorts of mistakes, vs designing the system so the owner isn't able to modify the car without the manufacturer's permission?

(Eg, Massachusetts has a "Right to Repair" law, which is supposed to reduce the last case.)

[Nexxxeh]

>Oh, I agree. But wouldn't any existing car company also be worried about aftermarket mods to the car they sold, by people who "think they know what they are doing"? What marks Tesla's cars as significantly special or error-prone?

They ARE significantly special to the media and to consumers. Compare the press coverage of the Tesla fires to the, what, hundreds or thousands of petrol (gasoline) vehicle fires a year?

One fool disables some safety features to squeeze out some more performance from his vehicle, the vehicle catches fire and kills him. How do you think that'll play out in the mainstream American media and what will it do to Tesla's stock price?

[dalke]

Ahh, yes, I see your point.