our cars have long been software defined. not just a high level software that they put now. but for a long time there has been chip that is responsible for a LOT of stuff, brakes, steering, abs, traction control etc.
It should be said, though, that brakes and steering are still possible via plain mechanics in hopefully all cars. There’s usually electronics to amplify it, meaning your car brakes harder and steers more easily without you putting in full force, but if that fails, it should degrade gracefully.
Had that happen in my old car a few years ago, that the whole engine and everything just turned off while I was rolling downhill. It was a bit of a panic moment, when suddenly the brake pedal and steering wheel took a lot more force to move, but the instinct reaction to just put in that force worked.
I don’t drive but if the engine is off while the clutch is disengaged engaged wouldn’t that produce a braking effect. Maybe not enough to stop the roll on a slope but enough that normal foot braking would stop the vehicle?
You underestimate what “downhill” can do to that equation. I recommend looking at some roads in WV like route 60 to the east of Gauley Bridge, Mount Alpha Road in Kanawha City, or Goff Mountain road that connects Institute to Cross Lanes, on the end near Institute. That last one has a hill steep enough that just sitting in neutral will get you up to 60MPH before you reach the bottom without heavy breaking.
I used to claim my state didn’t have any bad drivers, because there are too many places where if you fuck up you’re going to fall a.couple of stories and get impaled on a tree.
Yeah, in a manual car with the clutch disengaged and a gear engaged (and obviously the gas pedal disengaged), it should brake a little bit on its own. Many people don’t even use their parking brake, unless they’re parking on a slope, because that braking effect is good enough.
But I don’t think, you’d even need this braking effect. You can apply a lot of force to that brake pedal, if needed. I was taught, that if I need to brake for an emergency, I should kick, with full-force, the brake pedal and the clutch.
Not entirely sure, why that’s advised, maybe to avoid having the engine stutter or shut off, but I assume you couldn’t raise the brake amplification much more than that anyways (especially not without the driver being lifted off their seat and losing control).
The amplification is more of a comfort feature, since it means you barely need to move your feet in every-day-traffic.
First to clarify, you mean with the clutch pedal “out.” Pushing the pedal down actually disengages the clutch, ie forcing the plates apart to disconnect the engine from the transmission.
In a gasoline powered car that is in gear, yes there is a braking effect. Diesel engines don’t, which is why semi trucks have a thing called a Jake Brake.
Also, depending on what went wrong with your engine/why it is shut down, you may not want to choose to do this.
Its pretty exciting too. With EVs it makes even more sense and hopefully means we can see more competition in the market since it means more modular vehicles (imagine if every steering column could work for every drive train for example).
our cars have long been software defined. not just a high level software that they put now. but for a long time there has been chip that is responsible for a LOT of stuff, brakes, steering, abs, traction control etc.
Roses are red, hope this is never real
Your brake pedal has now become your steering wheel
Default state is a hard left, flooring it is a hard right, precisely 50% is straight.
Never let go, or you dive left into oncoming traffic lol
It should be said, though, that brakes and steering are still possible via plain mechanics in hopefully all cars. There’s usually electronics to amplify it, meaning your car brakes harder and steers more easily without you putting in full force, but if that fails, it should degrade gracefully.
Had that happen in my old car a few years ago, that the whole engine and everything just turned off while I was rolling downhill. It was a bit of a panic moment, when suddenly the brake pedal and steering wheel took a lot more force to move, but the instinct reaction to just put in that force worked.
I don’t drive but if the engine is off while the clutch is
disengagedengaged wouldn’t that produce a braking effect. Maybe not enough to stop the roll on a slope but enough that normal foot braking would stop the vehicle?You underestimate what “downhill” can do to that equation. I recommend looking at some roads in WV like route 60 to the east of Gauley Bridge, Mount Alpha Road in Kanawha City, or Goff Mountain road that connects Institute to Cross Lanes, on the end near Institute. That last one has a hill steep enough that just sitting in neutral will get you up to 60MPH before you reach the bottom without heavy breaking.
I used to claim my state didn’t have any bad drivers, because there are too many places where if you fuck up you’re going to fall a.couple of stories and get impaled on a tree.
Yeah, in a manual car with the clutch disengaged and a gear engaged (and obviously the gas pedal disengaged), it should brake a little bit on its own. Many people don’t even use their parking brake, unless they’re parking on a slope, because that braking effect is good enough.
But I don’t think, you’d even need this braking effect. You can apply a lot of force to that brake pedal, if needed. I was taught, that if I need to brake for an emergency, I should kick, with full-force, the brake pedal and the clutch.
Not entirely sure, why that’s advised, maybe to avoid having the engine stutter or shut off, but I assume you couldn’t raise the brake amplification much more than that anyways (especially not without the driver being lifted off their seat and losing control).
The amplification is more of a comfort feature, since it means you barely need to move your feet in every-day-traffic.
First to clarify, you mean with the clutch pedal “out.” Pushing the pedal down actually disengages the clutch, ie forcing the plates apart to disconnect the engine from the transmission.
In a gasoline powered car that is in gear, yes there is a braking effect. Diesel engines don’t, which is why semi trucks have a thing called a Jake Brake.
Also, depending on what went wrong with your engine/why it is shut down, you may not want to choose to do this.
Its pretty exciting too. With EVs it makes even more sense and hopefully means we can see more competition in the market since it means more modular vehicles (imagine if every steering column could work for every drive train for example).
You’ve been able to do that for ages. Granted it’s pretty much only with tyres and windscreen wipers for now, but it’s a start!
Yep, simplyfy, standardize, modularize, repeat, and we might actually get affordable cars (or anything really) again.
Its not something encumbant car manufacturing would be trying to push for outside of their own production lines though.