Japanese auto maker Nissan will soon begin production of an all electric vehicle called the Leaf and they’ve just announced that one of the whiz-bang-futuristic features it’ll have is an always on internet connection. Said connection is being provided by Telenor Connexion and it’ll enable things like checking how much juice is left in the batteries, how many more kilometers the thing can go, the ability to turn on the air conditioning, and more, all from either your smartphone or personal computer. The Leaf has already been awarded “European Car of the Year 2011”, and we can see why. Call me crazy, but pretty soon all cars will have these type of built in internet connections and they’ll be used against us. Insurance companies will see we drive like maniacs, the government can see where you’ve been cruising, hackers will remotely turn on and unlock your car, and many other scenarios I’ve yet to even consider.
Google once said that it was a mistake that cars were invented before computers, alluding to the Toyota they configured to drive itself. My father always used to say: “Driving is easy, just put your foot down and turn the wheel. Avoiding the idiots on the road is the hard part.” We’ll be rendered useless as drivers soon enough, and it’ll be great for the environment, plus fewer deaths will occur, but do you really want to give up the freedom of putting the pedal to the metal and pumping your pulse up a few notches?
Besides, how come this internet connection isn’t used for something cool like streaming radio or fresh mapping data courtesy of Google? It’s a double edged sword, this internet connectivity. So much can be given to us, yet so much can also be taken away. What say you: connected car is full or awesome or full of fail?
[Via: Engadget]