Technology

I am flabbergasted about how little some people know about cars.

In a discussion about a potentially mandatory hardware cutoff button for EVs after the accident in China:

• But that's just an electric button! What is a button good for if the electronics fail?

Do you know what a hardware cutoff does?

• Could I press it accidentally?

Such button would be mounted somewhere you can see and easily reach but normally don’t have hands there, like the dashboard.

• What if I'm going 80 mph on a highway and the cutoff somehow activates?

Did you realize that you don't actually stop dead when the motor is disconnected? You will start coasting, gradually slowing down (unless it's downhill) and come to a halt in about a minute.
However, the software (or hardware, if the manufacturer is actually safety aware) will "notice" the cutoff and turn on brake lights (& hazards if they are separate), and inform you that you need to pull the button back up to reconnect the contacts. If you realize your mistake immediately, you can revert it in less time than it takes beginners to shift gears on some old cars (which is also a time when the motor is not engaged).

• But how do I stop a rogue car if the button actually does not do it by itself?

Slamming the brakes all the way should mechanically engage the brake pads regardless of whether the electronics works. If not, the car is not road legal.

• Cars did not use to have this!

Do you know what the ignition key does? It physically prevents the motor from firing any further if it is pulled.

Stop complaining about mechanical overrides to electronic systems! Any software engineer will tell you that they'll happily be able to pull the plug if their computer tries to kill them!