Technology

Just when I start to think there's alot of great information in the posts and comments on Lemmy, I read some like this.

This is how the BMW a friend owns works, and it's not an EV. The unlock button in the driver's seat just stops working if the car is off.

How do I know this? I decided to stay in the car while my friend went to go get something, and it auto-locked as he walked away. After about 5 minutes of trying everything I could think of to get out (including attempting to climb into the boot, which was too small for anything except a malnourished child to fit through), he came back and unlocked it.

There is no manual way to unlock the door from the inside. I checked the driver's manual. It says it's impossible to do without "special knowledge" and does not provide any pointers on how to do so. The friend asked a guy at the BMW place after a service how to unlock it from the inside, and he said "oh, yeah, there's no way to do that," and laughed it off.

Previous BMW models weren't designed like this. I can't imagine what they'll do to the next generation...

I am flabbergasted about how little some people know about cars.

In a discussion about a potentially mandatory hardware cutoff button for EVs after the accident in China:

• But that's just an electric button! What is a button good for if the electronics fail?

Do you know what a hardware cutoff does?

• Could I press it accidentally?

Such button would be mounted somewhere you can see and easily reach but normally don’t have hands there, like the dashboard.

• What if I'm going 80 mph on a highway and the cutoff somehow activates?

Did you realize that you don't actually stop dead when the motor is disconnected? You will start coasting, gradually slowing down (unless it's downhill) and come to a halt in about a minute.
However, the software (or hardware, if the manufacturer is actually safety aware) will "notice" the cutoff and turn on brake lights (& hazards if they are separate), and inform you that you need to pull the button back up to reconnect the contacts. If you realize your mistake immediately, you can revert it in less time than it takes beginners to shift gears on some old cars (which is also a time when the motor is not engaged).

• But how do I stop a rogue car if the button actually does not do it by itself?

Slamming the brakes all the way should mechanically engage the brake pads regardless of whether the electronics works. If not, the car is not road legal.

• Cars did not use to have this!

Do you know what the ignition key does? It physically prevents the motor from firing any further if it is pulled.

Stop complaining about mechanical overrides to electronic systems! Any software engineer will tell you that they'll happily be able to pull the plug if their computer tries to kill them!