Hi All,
I hope the Leaf will be my next car. I am ahead of the curve regarding electric vehicles (EVs), being an engineer and having built and operated my own hobbyist EV. I have no qualms at all about that aspect. I'm not sure if my particular inquiry is better for the Engineering or Ask Nissan forums. Maybe both?
What worries me is something that has been getting increasing attention lately, and the Leaf raises the concern level higher. Modern cars are filled with microprocessors that communicate over a protocol called CAN bus. It's not very secure, and prone to a broad range of hacks. This article explains in more detail:
http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/05/car-hacks-could-turn-commutes-into-a-scene-from-speed.ars
The bottom line is that it's pretty frightening how vulnerable to hacking new cars are, if you have access to the OBD-II diagnostic port. But this applies to all new cars. The Leaf opens a new exploit. I just read it allows charging configuration changes via smart phone - that opens a whole new can of worms. Mobile phones are subject to all sorts of hacks, so exposing all the programming in my car (and there's a lot of code in there) to phone hackers is a bit too much to take.
Questions:
1. When using a smart phone to alter charging configuration, is the phone talking to the charger on the car or the power outlet? What are the details of that communication?
2. Does anyone here have sufficient knowledge of the Leaf's CAN bus architecture to know that a software hack via smart phone is not possible? Perhaps enforced via hardware?
I'm afraid the Leaf won't be the only car subject to software hacks, but it looks like it might be among the first. Phone/car communication is coming. But if my vehicle becomes as likely to "crash" as my PC or phone, it's time to stop buying new cars.
Can anyone give me some good news?
C
I hope the Leaf will be my next car. I am ahead of the curve regarding electric vehicles (EVs), being an engineer and having built and operated my own hobbyist EV. I have no qualms at all about that aspect. I'm not sure if my particular inquiry is better for the Engineering or Ask Nissan forums. Maybe both?
What worries me is something that has been getting increasing attention lately, and the Leaf raises the concern level higher. Modern cars are filled with microprocessors that communicate over a protocol called CAN bus. It's not very secure, and prone to a broad range of hacks. This article explains in more detail:
http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2010/05/car-hacks-could-turn-commutes-into-a-scene-from-speed.ars
The bottom line is that it's pretty frightening how vulnerable to hacking new cars are, if you have access to the OBD-II diagnostic port. But this applies to all new cars. The Leaf opens a new exploit. I just read it allows charging configuration changes via smart phone - that opens a whole new can of worms. Mobile phones are subject to all sorts of hacks, so exposing all the programming in my car (and there's a lot of code in there) to phone hackers is a bit too much to take.
Questions:
1. When using a smart phone to alter charging configuration, is the phone talking to the charger on the car or the power outlet? What are the details of that communication?
2. Does anyone here have sufficient knowledge of the Leaf's CAN bus architecture to know that a software hack via smart phone is not possible? Perhaps enforced via hardware?
I'm afraid the Leaf won't be the only car subject to software hacks, but it looks like it might be among the first. Phone/car communication is coming. But if my vehicle becomes as likely to "crash" as my PC or phone, it's time to stop buying new cars.
Can anyone give me some good news?
C