German Electric Car Ambitions May Be Software-Limited - Article link

[Tooney]

Tesla has done two things that disrupted the auto industry. First, it proved that a battery-electric car was a viable alternative to a combustion engine car — a tectonic shift in the world of automobiles. But the second innovation pioneered by Tesla — let’s call it the “computer on wheels” concept — may be the biggest disruptor of all.

The Big Three German car companies — Volkswagen, Mercedes, and BMW — have risen nicely to the first challenge and now have stellar electric car models in production. But making those cars “computers on wheels” is proving to be the more difficult challenge.

“From a hardware perspective I would have no doubts that they can make superb cars,” Axel Schmidt, global head of the automotive division at Accenture, tells Automotive News Europe. “But can the complexity and quality needed for the software be mastered by a 120 year old hardware manufacture? I’m not so sure.”
...
Volkswagen has created a separate division called Cariad to develop software for the entire group. The software platform known as E3 2.0 was supposed to be incorporated into the Trinity project, but it has been delayed from 2026 to 2029, Manager Magazin reports. In a letter published on an employee portal, Cariad head Dirk Hilgenberg said the company was giving itself more time on the 2.0 platform but did not provide a new time frame.
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/11/21/german-electric-car-ambitions-may-be-software-limited/

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[RBGtaycan]

Tesla has done two things that disrupted the auto industry. First, it proved that a battery-electric car was a viable alternative to a combustion engine car — a tectonic shift in the world of automobiles. But the second innovation pioneered by Tesla — let’s call it the “computer on wheels” concept — may be the biggest disruptor of all.

The Big Three German car companies — Volkswagen, Mercedes, and BMW — have risen nicely to the first challenge and now have stellar electric car models in production. But making those cars “computers on wheels” is proving to be the more difficult challenge.

“From a hardware perspective I would have no doubts that they can make superb cars,” Axel Schmidt, global head of the automotive division at Accenture, tells Automotive News Europe. “But can the complexity and quality needed for the software be mastered by a 120 year old hardware manufacture? I’m not so sure.”
...
Volkswagen has created a separate division called Cariad to develop software for the entire group. The software platform known as E3 2.0 was supposed to be incorporated into the Trinity project, but it has been delayed from 2026 to 2029, Manager Magazin reports. In a letter published on an employee portal, Cariad head Dirk Hilgenberg said the company was giving itself more time on the 2.0 platform but did not provide a new time frame.
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/11/21/german-electric-car-ambitions-may-be-software-limited/

from the article:

“It certainly looks like the Germans are tripping over themselves a bit recently,” German auto industry analyst Matthias Schmidt tells Automotive News Europe. “The inherent perfectionism could be their own worst enemy and could likely be slowing them down in the fast-paced EV environment.”

That reminds me of the expression (from Voltaire?):

“perfect is the enemy of the good”