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Building a Car, Open Source-Style

businessweek.com — Inspired by Linux, the OScar project is assembling volunteers to apply their collective talents to the task of designing a new breed of car.

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  • fxmcleod, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4So that's what I'll be doing for the next year.
    Unfortunately it isn't simple to contribute to this and I'm pretty pessimistic about it's future
    • fernandez, on 10/12/2007, -3/+30does it have support for wheels yet, or does that come in the next version
    • netdroid9, on 10/12/2007, -5/+18Of course it's got wheels, they're just not avaliable in the repositories yet. You'll need libmomentum-dev to compile it, and it's pretty sweet if you can get libspinners running properly.

      On the other hand, god forbid you get a kernel panic. Brings a new meaning to the word crash, doesn't it? 0.0
    • incubusnb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6OScar? your naming a car after a hot dog? you poor poor man
    • Punisher2K, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Damn. Still problems with the RPMs.
    • GiggleStick, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I just hope they can get sound to work.
  • foobar5892, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Will they be free as well? If yes, where can I sign up?

    Also, actual website: http://www.theoscarproject.org/
    • RoboPimp3000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9what? the oscar project? Oh well, at least it's not expertsexchange.com.
    • foobar5892, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Well, if I would be getting a sex change, I'd sure as hell want experts to do it. Oh wait...
  • simplysic, on 10/12/2007, -15/+3Linux..the new microsoft :)
    • Avalontor, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5really? Do you have anyway to prove that statement of yours? Other then the smiley face, of course.
    • petepete, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Why would a Wookiee, an eight-foot tall Wookiee...
  • imnsi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I just can't wait to drive into the local SourceForge Auto Shop for a quick tune up.
    • b0wl0fud0n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4What i really want to see and thought about for a while is an open source spaceship project.
    • buddyfarr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0you dont have to. just setup the cron tune-up job to run every 3 months.
  • Jonny5alive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10The Linux of cars?

    So it won't come with a driver for my brakes....
    • RadiatedAnt, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17You are the driver...
    • andysimmons, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4C'mon Jonny, you need a better driver joke than that... it's a car!
    • venom8599, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Sadly, the brake vendor refuses to release the source code for the brake itself. So to be sure the car is truly free, the brakes are not included. /sarcasm
  • RadiatedAnt, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4brings a new meaning to the term sourceforge where they prob will physically forge the damn thing! ha!
  • CoffeeNut, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This is actually quite an interesting concept in a general sense even if this specific instance doesn't go anywhere.

    For years there's been talk of open source hardware when 3d printers and such come out. What's out there right now and what other projects along these lines could be started? I know of http://www.opencores.org/ for processor cores, there's an open source phone project going on, and arguably food recipes are really old-school open source :)

    Anyone know of other good ones?
  • vanzan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5This will only successed if there's a need for it. We needed firefox and we needed linux. Thus, they became useful and people helped out in making them.

    • Xilon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think most people would require a car. I mean in Australia it's pretty hard to get ANYWHERE without a car or some kind of transport. Luckily I live 5 minutes from a shopping centre.
    • ZetSabre, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Why is vanzan being modded down? Yes, there is a market for cars in general, but we already have general cars. There needs to be a market for this car in particular for it to be a success.
  • jhshukla, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Obligatory...
    but does it run linux?
  • gusc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Name conflict in progress :) Latvians are building rally car with the same name (for Dakar rally-raid). http://www.osc.lv/ (Not to much info in that site, but you can also look in http://www.dakar.com/ for some photos) and also here http://www.rigarrt.lv/fotografijas.php (photo galleries)
  • Chamunks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2well hopefully they find a way to hack the market in ways that counter GM's counter product evolution maybe they will find something as cost effective as the segway but as useful as (insert useful item name here)
  • danieldrehmer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Gosh! I was braincracking about a project like this two days ago. I am so surprised!

    That's cool
  • mechanisma22, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Its about time, I've been tracking open source car ideas because I've had the same idea for years now. I would like to have a cooler looking body than those ugly 80's looking concepts they have on the website. Open source hardware is quite different than software because its a slower developement process, I can imagine this OSCar project will take a while to develop. In the mean time check out this kit car http://www.k1-styling.sk/main.php
  • crash128, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Open Source is good for software, but for a car? Hope it doesn't turn out like the one Homer Simpson designed. (on the other hand, they do have that open source beer recipe thing).
  • marcool, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0that's nice :)
    I'm sure that a big percentage of what you pay when buying a car is for design purpose. If you don't pay that percentage, cars will be much cheaper.
    But the problem you face when running an opensource software is always the same : support.
    So who's gonna support this? Who's gonna guarantee this car is crash proof? I don't wanna drive an OSCar Beta 2.7!
    And if there are good ideas... i'm sure other brand will copy! Unless this is the first GPL car!
    • Xilon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What do you think Windows have been doing this whole time? Of course the commercial companies are gonna copy!
    • Ademan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Maybe you'll get a company that springs up and says "we'll put people to work on this, we'll test it, we'll manufacture it" and in return of course, they benefit from the entire design up till that point. If what was said about design being the most expensive part (and I wouldn't doubt that it is) then that company could stand a far lower entry cost into the auto market, that would be interesting
  • ricepudd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1So who's going to volunteer to beta test it?
  • LogicallyGenius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i am hoping for the best cheapest car, with biofuel as energy source..
  • LogicallyGenius, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2please also create an Opensource Medicines site
    • pingoart, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0wouldn't be such a bad idea... the only problem is how hard is it to manufacture medicines by yourself... Maybe someone could come with an idea for a practical micro chemical reactor. Now you must create a new open-source drug community. And last but not least, be brave (or crazy, you choose) enough to drink (inject, or anything like that) your own home made stuff. And good luck.
  • dwhitbeck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Whether it is successful or not, it is still a cool idea.
  • anmol2k4, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Airbus is Open Source in same way. Look how they are not able to deliver.
  • nxxm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2open ideas and open information for the world. open everything for the benefit of the community and the whole populace.


    opensource hardware
    opensource software
    opensource books
    opensource arts/graphics/ideas

    opensource everything

    why, thankyou.

    http://wiki.duskglow.com/tiki-index.php?page=Open-Graphics
  • BullTaco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1GM 'hints' that an IP cloud hangs over the OSCar project.

    EFF states that the patent system is screwed up because of abstract math, software, and, oh yes, automobile patents.
  • liuite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I would like to see more development of modular assembly of cars. picture how PCs are built; you have case, motherboard, PSU, memory, hard drive...etc made by different manufacturers conforming to specified standards. You can have more designers using standard components to design a body style around it. like the VW beetle floorpan being used as a popular platform for kit cars, or the Surfboard fuelcell concept from GM....but Keep It Super Simple.
  • catbeller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Good comments, especially BullTaco's addition about GM hinting about suing for "IP" violations.

    I've been noodling about Oscar for years. Here's my short burst:

    1. Resurrect the frame design. Steel is cheap. No unibody; we don't have a factory to stamp out such things anyway. And I doubt the frame is patented, a big plus.
    2. Use aluminum for body panels. MAKE THEM MODULAR; use standard screws to attach them to the frame. Doesn't rust, and you can simply seal the surface instead of painting it.
    3. A. Motor: make it electric. Use those rim-mounted motors, and the number of moving parts drop to nearly zero, with the accompanying lessening of maintenance. No lubrication system, no cooling system, no belts. Provide a mount in the compartment once used by the engine for a fueled electric generator (a series hybrid, IE engine drives generator which powers electric motors).
    B. When batteries are good enough, replace the fossil-fuel generator with super-batteries or capacitors. Or keep it as a backup for getting out of a no-electricity situation.
    4. Use standard struts and shocks.
    5. Use mechanical steering with electric assist; I'd love to use a joystick mounted between the two front seats, so either seat could drive, but if you've ever had your steering fail on you, you find you really want a mechanical system.
    6. Optional four-wheel drive? Why not. Just add more motors to the rear wheels.
    7. INSULATE the car interior. Good for car breakdowns. Keep people warm if the heater fails.
    8. Put a real rear view mirror in. Stretch it across the entire front windshield. It's idiotic to have blind spots.
    9. Perhaps... close off the bottom of the car? Why expose the innards to the road?
    10. Move the dashboard away from the front seat drivers. There's no reason why we have to eat the plastic when we crash. Do somthing about the steering column/deathspear in front of the driver as well.
    11. Reinforced sides. Make people climb over a real beam where the doors usually go all the way to the ground. The door could intergrate into the roof a little to compensate for the lost area.
    12. Make a convertible easy to make out of the base frame :)
    13. Make the windows EASILY replaceable. Screws, baby.
    14. Make every damned part easily accessible. Panels come off with a screwdriver. Hell: print instructions for access and repair on every part or panel so no one ever has to guess how to fix a car again.
    15. Dashboard should be modular. AND once again, easily, and I mean EASILY, disassembled and reassembled.
    16. Modular everything.
  • V1ncent, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Ok so in the end we'll get a car that's:
    -incompatible with 98% of the roads out there
    -takes square tires because the "enemy" uses round ones
    -lacks any kind of dashboard because "fancy displays" decrease horsepower
    -has no radio because of proprietary frequency drivers
    -lacks a steering wheel because all navigation is thru the command line
    -you have to use your foot to brake (brakes coming in possible future kernal update)
    -no rear view or side mirrors to keep car owners from seeing the world around them and the real cars happily zipping along with smiling non-tortured owners of real cars
    -and lastly there will be a lot of cars but no drivers but the open source car salesmen will keep pointing out that the "car" is free so it's a great deal...
  • sshack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yes, but will this open source car let me build a morgan?
    If not, I don't care. All the "eco" cars look bloody hidious. I can see why they don't
    sell well.

    http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/home.html

  • quarsaw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Great, once they get the design done, they can use my open source heavy manufacturing facility, and my cousin Chuck's open source raw-material depot.
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