Fortunately, cars have a much longer useful life than a smartphone, which on average lasts between two and three years. Phone manufacturers usually support them for three or four years with a remarkable record of seven years Fairphone 2. The question is what will happen with the car’s infotainment system, and speaking more specifically about the system. system To answer this question, the first step is to determine the useful life of the car. A very complicated question to answer.
Volkswagen had just gotten into the good garden, indirectly responding to the useful life of cars. Dirk Hilgenberg, director of CARIAD – Volkswagen’s member software division – announced that their cars will enjoy support and updates for the Android automotive-based infotainment system throughout its useful life. But what is the life of a useful car? In an interview with specialized media Ars Technica, the German executive stated that Volkswagen has set the life of its vehicles at 15 years.
Infotainment hardware in cars is designed to be more durable than the outdated technology in smartphones.
15 years is a long time – almost an eternity – in terms of technology and infotainment, but in terms of automotive it is a questionable figure. The definition of useful life is the time during which a product properly performs the function for which it was intended. This definition is especially complicated in the world of cars. And not only because the useful life of the car directly depends on the use and maintenance of its appearance, but also on the actual engineering of its parts.
Some say that the useful life that some car manufacturers estimate is closer to 10 years, but the answer can vary substantially if we ask the marketing team, development engineers or after-sales technicians. It should be noted that the engineering parameters and durability tests around which the car is designed are not public and correspond to the highest possible average use – based on the average customer that the marketing department attributes to this car.
Does this mean that Volkswagen is 15 years and one day old? Yes, the car can say quite quickly, but also after a long time.
Does this mean that Volkswagen is 15 years and one day old? Yes, the car can say quite quickly, but also after a long time. As is logical, the intensive use of a car as a taxi in the city does not cause the same wear and tear as light use, such as driving exclusively on expressways. In the event, the average that Volkswagen estimates for its conventional cars is 15 years, after which it will stop supporting Android Automotives, considering it an obsolete product – now, the most powerful argument for the purchase is the technological aspect of the car. However, we must not forget that the Volkswagen Group has brands such as Porsche, Bugatti or Lamborghini.
In these cases, Hilgenberg says that the support will last for years, especially in terms of cybersecurity – something that we do on the wheels of the computer, something to consider. Among the reasons was not only the relative price of such vehicles, but also their less intensive use, superior machinery, their “unicorn” character and perceived public image.
