Electronic tune-up

Automotive Industries, Jan, 2005 by John W. Daws

In Paul Hansen's column (AI, Dec. 2004, pg. 14), Mr. Hansen suggests that the vehicle manufacturers should try to reinvent the wheel to incorporate as "embedded" those things that are available in consumer electronics. In my opinion, vehicle manufacturers would be providing better service to their customers by developing a common power and signal interface by which those consumer electronic modules could be used in the vehicle.

Unfortunately, vehicle manufacturers seem to believe that there are significant profits to be had by selling embedded electronics to vehicle buyers. They, too, seem to be missing the point that the consumer electronics Industry moves much faster than the vehicle development cycle, and that maintenance of these "smart" devices requires some investment of time on the part of the owner. Asking vehicle buyers to invest more time and money to use a less capable embedded device rather than their portable one seems like an uphill battle at best, and one that siphons development funds away from true vehicle innovations.