Would there be interest in open-source mechanical platforms? - You would download a car, wouldn't you?

[Betonhaus]

What if there was like a github for mechanical blueprints like engines and other components, so if you wanted a lawnmower or a tractor or a car, you could download the blueprints and get a machinist to make them and a mechanic to assemble them or do as much of that yourself? Maybe you could use those blueprints make your own cars or lawnmowers or whatever in bulk that you sell to your local community, maybe ordering the more intricate parts premade in bulk and doing final assembly yourself? Maybe people could collaborate on upgrade kits for old platforms, so if you had a 30 year old truck with a rust-free body you could just make the parts needed to get it working again?

 

[Syzyg]

How to be suicided any% glitchless speedrun world record. This hypothetical would likely fall under right to repair, which is still being fought in courts across the US.

 

[Just A Fat Round Bird]

How to be suicided any% glitchless speedrun world record. This hypothetical would likely fall under right to repair, which is still being fought in courts across the US.

I mean it would be a good filter.
Well.. in the GDR you usually could get the circuit diagram for your appliances and other devices, or it was just straight up included with them, so why not.

 

[Betonhaus]

Entire car designs might be trickier at first as you have to deal with safety and legal regulations, but you could probably start small with open source designs for small engines like lawnmowers, then build to larger and larger farm equipment then vehicles. Unless you're in a nation that has very loose automotive regulations then yeah you could start offering designs that anyone could use.

 

[Otis Mallebrok]

I would like to design a car, where the airbags only inflates if the passengers are white.

 

[OrionBalls]

Just buy the Chilton manual?

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

You can already find these online, what problem exactly do you think you're solving?

 

[Betonhaus]

You can already find these online, what problem exactly do you think you're solving?

Ultimately I'd like to find ways to encourage local manufacturing of staple tools that everyone uses. Right now stuff like automobiles are made by massive megacorporations that are more concerned about profit then tailoring their products to something that people want and use, and it would be nice if those products live vehicles were cheaper to maintain and repair. An open source vehicle would be a lot more bare bones and simple to operate and work on them these high tech cars with multiple computers and wiring systems.

If we had a world where a ten person shop could make cars that they sell and service in their local town, tailored to what people in that town want.

 

[Prokhor Zakharov]

Ultimately I'd like to find ways to encourage local manufacturing of staple tools that everyone uses. Right now stuff like automobiles are made by massive megacorporations that are more concerned about profit then tailoring their products to something that people want and use, and it would be nice if those products live vehicles were cheaper to maintain and repair. An open source vehicle would be a lot more bare bones and simple to operate and work on them these high tech cars with multiple computers and wiring systems.

If we had a world where a ten person shop could make cars that they sell and service in their local town, tailored to what people in that town want.

Scales of economy would prevent this from working. The size of the companies allows them to order the materials and make things at much less cost due to the volume of business they do, the cost for a small firm to do the same thing is much higher.

 

[Betonhaus]

Scales of economy would prevent this from working. The size of the companies allows them to order the materials and make things at much less cost due to the volume of business they do, the cost for a small firm to do the same thing is much higher.

It would be interesting to see how that plays out. Right now transportation and outsourced manufacturing is heavily subsidized and that may not be sustainable. Plus there's some cases where small runs might be easier to do locally, like someone doing it for their own use. Some stuff it may be possible to buy cheap kits from Chinese shops making more complicated parts in bulk.

Ultimately I don't know. There are some aspects that might be feasible, or at the bare minimum worth exploring. People will pay extra for things like environmentally friendly and organic, there might be a small market for stuff that's built locally using open source components.

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

You won't be able to do it cheaper for roadworthy vehicles due to the vast amount of safety/environmental regulations on vehicles and as the other guy mentioned economies of scale.

Now, you can go niche and people might be willing to pay more. But you would have to identify a niche with a market need. And any auto shop with 10 guys could build you a car from scrap so it's not like the information to build a car is hidden from the public.

 

[Betonhaus]

You won't be able to do it cheaper for roadworthy vehicles due to the vast amount of safety/environmental regulations on vehicles and as the other guy mentioned economies of scale.

Now, you can go niche and people might be willing to pay more. But you would have to identify a niche with a market need. And any auto shop with 10 guys could build you a car from scrap so it's not like the information to build a car is hidden from the public.

Entire car designs might be trickier at first as you have to deal with safety and legal regulations, but you could probably start small with open source designs for small engines like lawnmowers, then build to larger and larger farm equipment then vehicles. Unless you're in a nation that has very loose automotive regulations then yeah you could start offering designs that anyone could use.

 

[Pee Cola]

Why not just keep existing vehicles running for as long as possible? I don't mean the current year spyware-infested Nanny State approved mobile bughives; I mean those vehicles built in the '90s and '00s that are still trucking along and have plenty of life left in them. Cars made back when the auto industry got the balance between durability, repairability and safety just right.

OP is answering a question nobody asked.

 

[Betonhaus]

Why not just keep existing vehicles running for as long as possible? I don't mean the current year spyware-infested Nanny State approved mobile bughives; I mean those vehicles built in the '90s and '00s that are still trucking along and have plenty of life left in them. Cars made back when the auto industry got the balance between durability, repairability and safety just right.

Often you can't get the parts, and vehicles have varying levels of difficulty to repair. Oh yeah, and rust.