Avoiding Alexa, Amazon, Google in electric cars

What is that? A new drug or something? :wink:

Why shouldn’t they be allowed to be offered as an option in cars?

Why? What is there to be worried about?

FWIW, Google says they do not sell user data to 3rd parties. They use the info they have on us to target ads purchased by advertisers. That makes sense to me because if they sold the data companies wouldn’t need to continue to buy advertisements from them

In any event, a lawsuit was filed last May claiming Google, in fact, does sell user data. The results of that suit and another similar one filed earlier should help answer the question.

I assume that brands like Bugatti, Rolls Royce and the like are willing to listen to your wishes, sirs. :wink:

In all honesty, cars are a mass market product. And quite complex too. Expecting car manufacturers to cater to so many personal preferences for electronics (think of safety regulations and compliance!) doesn’t seem very realistic to me.

My experience with Apple Carplay and Android Auto is compatibility for both is built in a number of brands as well as aftermarket devices already.

Brands like Hyundai already offer both on their cars in addition to their own interface and app. Shouldn’t be impossible, therefore. BMW afaik can integrate all 3 (Apple/Google/Amazon) in newer models and provides choice to the user.

Apple Carplay/Android Auto are ahead in integration with car and appliance brands offering an integrated driving experience and most of the time provide a user choice. Alexa is catching up fast. Don’t know if Amazon goes for hard integration/factory installation with brands more instead of allowing consumers to choose based on preference as it will be independent of the phone platform choice, which Apple and Google have to bet on.

Alexa is not a benign AI, it is there to sell stuff. An adult who questions Amazon’s employment and business practices can make their own decision. But a kid who is just learning to talk being co-parented by Alexa is worrying.

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After years of CarPlay in my own vehicle and occasional use of CarPlay - equipped rental cars in unfamiliar cities during business trips, here’s the benefit for me. Every car is my car. Every car can respond to my requests to call people and navigate to destinations with familiar interface. The only difference is that most CarPlay displays are smaller than my own vehicle’s and show less icons.

If I was an Alexa acolyte I would perhaps find the same benefit in Alexa integration in a vehicle.

That sounds awfully outlandish.

As I just posted on another thread: Amazon Just Revealed its First Home Robot - Slashdot

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Ford has integrated Alexa into its Sync system. My new Lincoln Nautilus has the new Sync 4 system that allows for downloadable apps, including Lincoln+Alexa so you can use Alexa in the car. I don’t use Alexa so I’m not interested, but it shows that a lot of people are.

In other news, electric vehicles are not ready for prime-time…

The issue of Alexa and its ilk being integrated into vehicles is not restricted to electric cars.

As a Bolt driver, I’m obviously following this closely. For a while no remedy had been identified. Now there is a remedy but it will take a while to roll out. As I currently understand it, for older Bolts the entire battery will be replaced, for newer Bolts problem modules can be identified and replaced individually and there will be a software update in about 60 days to identify problem modules which should allow parking indoors again.

This issue was due to 2 separate manufacturing defects occurring in the same cell in LG Chem pouch batteries. LG Chem makes batteries for other electric vehicles, but they are different in detail for each manufacturer. It’s unclear whether these defects could be present in other manufacturers’ vehicles.

For ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles there have also been recalls, some with 50 foot parking directives, due to spontaneous combustion risks over the years. For example:

and more.

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Good lord… Slashdot?!

Telling it like it is: “amazon spy robot.”