Software correctness in the auto industry and FPLs
Sorry for no "Subject" on the first post. In any case, I meant this
Wall Street Journal as a challenge to the Haskell community to perhaps
"step up to the plate" in the auto arena vis-a-vis software
correctness. I realize that with hard real-time problems and a garbage
collector that that could be a problem. In any case , enjoy.
Vasili
On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 5:55 AM, Vasili I. Galchin
* * * * * * * More o BigCharts o Virtual Stock Exchange o FiLife.com o WSJ Asia o WSJ Europe o WSJ Portuguese o WSJ Spanish o WSJ Chinese o WSJ Japanese o WSJ Radio o Financial News
SEARCH
* Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Autos o Welcome, William Halchin Logout o + My Account + My Journal + Help + Message Center ( new)
* U.S. Edition
WSJ.com is available in the following editions and languages: o U.S. o Asia + India + China + Japan o Europe o Americas + en Español + em Português o Login/Register to set your edition o Set my edition o Today's Paper o Video o Columns o Blogs o Topics o Journal Community
Register for FREE Register for FREE
Thank you for registering.
We sent an email to:
Please click on the link inside the email to complete your registration
Please register to gain free access to WSJ tools.
An account already exists for the email address entered.
Forgot your username or password?
This service is temporary unavailable due to system maintenance. Please try again later.
The username entered is already associated with another account. Please enter a different username
The email address you have entered is already in use. Please re-enter the email address. o First Name o Last Name o Email (your email address will be your login) o Confirm Email o Create a Password o Confirm Password o Company Size (Optional)
From time to time, we will send you e-mail announcements on new features and special offers from The Wall Street Journal Online.
Create a profile for me in the Journal Community
Why Register?
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
As a registered user of The Wall Street Journal Online, you will be able to: o
Setup and manage your portfolio o
Personalize your own news page o
Receive and manage newsletters Log In Log In Login Password Log in Your login is either a username or an email address.
Keep me logged in. Forgot your password?
close window Close
* Home * World * U.S. * Business * Markets * Tech * Personal Finance * Life & Style * Opinion * Careers * Real Estate * Small Business
* Asia * Europe * Earnings * Economy * Health * Law * Autos * Management * Media & Marketing * expand More Industries
up down o Accounting o Advertising o Airlines o Banking o Chemicals o Computer Hardware o Computer Software o Consumer Products o Defense & Aerospace o Energy o Broadcasting & Entertainment o Financial Services & Insurance o Food & Tobacco o Hospitality o Industrial Goods & Services o Marketing & Strategy o Media Agencies o Metals & Mining o Paper & Forest Products o Pharmaceutical & Biotech o Real Estate o Retail o Semiconductors o Transportation o Utilities * Columns & Blogs *
*
Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com See a sample reprint in PDF format. Order a reprint of this article now * The Wall Street Journal
* MARCH 31, 2010
Now, Even NASA Is Involved in Toyota Crisis
* Article * Comments (2)
more in Auto Industry News »
* Email * Print *
Save This ↓ More * o
facebook facebook o
Twitter Twitter o
Digg Digg o
StumbleUpon StumbleUpon o + More close o Yahoo! Buzz o MySpace o del.icio.us o Reddit o LinkedIn o Fark o Viadeo o Orkut * larger Text smaller
By BEN WORTHEN
U.S. regulators on Tuesday announced a broad investigation into automotive computer systems and software, which have come under scrutiny because of sudden acceleration and other reports involving some Toyota Motor Corp. cars.
An examination of Toyota's problems will be conducted by experts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, while the National Academy of Sciences, which advises the government, will undertake a separate, 15-month study into the use of computer technology in cars, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.
Toyota has said there is no evidence that software or electronic systems are responsible for sudden acceleration in its cars. The company "repeatedly and rigorously" tests its software and has subjected it to outside review, a spokesman said.
Electronics have led to some of the biggest safety breakthroughs in vehicles, such as antilock brakes and stability control. Software controls an ever-growing variety of functions in cars, including braking and accelerating. Increasingly, cars include software that links these systems to do things like parallel park the vehicle or remember the seat positions, temperatures and radio stations preferred by different drivers.
"Ninety percent of all innovation in cars today is driven by software," said Ingolf Krueger, an associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California in San Diego.
No surprise then that software is sometimes to blame when things go wrong. While Toyota has received most of the attention, other car makers have had software-related incidents.
Ford Motor Co.'s 2010 Fusion Hybrid has a high-tech braking system that also recharges its battery through a process called regenerative braking. Software monitors sensors in the car and determines when to engage the conventional braking system instead. Several drivers filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency responsible for vehicle safety, stating that they depressed the brake pedal as far as possible but the brakes didn't engage.
A Ford spokesman said a sensor on the car was set too sensitively and that software interpreted the signal to mean it should skip the regenerative braking step. The company issued a software upgrade that it said would take care of the issue, avoiding a recall.
In November 2008, General Motors Co. recalled 12,662 of its 2009 model year Cadillac CTS sedans because a software glitch caused the passenger-side air bag to be turned off when it should have been active.
That same year, Volkswagen AG recalled 4,079 2008 Passats because of software that didn't properly control the engine idle while the air conditioning was on. And Toyota in February recalled 2010 Priuses to fix the software in their antilock brakes that some owners said led to delays in the brakes engaging.
To date, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has evaluated software and electronic systems only as part of other reviews, such as whether an air bag deploys when it is supposed to, a spokeswoman said. The agency doesn't have any software or electronics specialists on staff, she added.
Auto software has some distinct characteristics. For one thing, the programs are relatively simple and are designed to be embedded in simple components—typically eight-bit and 16-bit computer chips, compared with more advanced 32-bit and 64-bit microprocessors found in most personal computers.
The simplicity is intended to make the software more reliable—the fewer things it is asked to do, the less likely it is to experience a problem.
Indeed, Mr. Krueger said automotive software has led to some of the biggest jumps in safety and fuel efficiency. Electronic stability-control systems, which detect when a car is skidding and automatically deploy the brakes, have reduced the number of vehicles that flip over, he said.
In an effort to improve the quality of software in vehicles several car makers in 2003 founded the Automotive Open System Architecture group to create standards. These systems have become enormously complex, said Simon Fuerst, a spokesman for the group, all the more so because car makers traditionally use their own proprietary software formats.
Raj Rajkumar, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has recently been studying the software in a Lexus IS250, a car made by Toyota, that experienced sudden acceleration. His hypothesis is that a software glitch caused the vehicle's fail-safe mode—which typically shuts off or reduces engine power in the event of a system failure—to not to kick in when it should.
But he said he isn't certain and his study is made more difficult by the fact he doesn't have access to the software code used in the car.
Mr. LaHood on Tuesday said that many members of Congress feel "there's something wrong with the electronics, not only just in Toyotas but in other automobiles, too. We felt that we really needed to look into this." —Josh Mitchell contributed to this article.Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page B1
Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
www.djreprints.com More In Auto Industry News
* Email * Printer Friendly * Order Reprints * * Share: o
facebook facebook o
Twitter Twitter o
Digg Digg o
StumbleUpon StumbleUpon o
Viadeo Viadeo o
Orkut Orkut o
Yahoo! Buzz Yahoo Buzz o
Fark Fark o
Reddit Reddit o
LinkedIn LinkedIn o
del.icio.us del.icio.us o
MySpace MySpace *
* Back To
* Back To * * MSN Money Homepage * MSN Money Investing
Companies within this Article Toyota Motor Corp. ADS(TM) 80.49 0.07 4/1 Volkswagen AG(VOW.XE) 71.60 0.10 4/1 Ford Motor Co.(F) 12.63 0.06 7:59p.m. marketplace
* Leasefax.com * Auto Loan Rates * Investing Tools
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
* On WSJ.com * In My Network
* Truckers Spend Off Hours in Stitches32294694 With less to haul and more down time, some big-rig drivers are picking up new hobbies. But... * Laptop Killer? The iPad Comes Close32384032 Apple's new touch-screen device has the potential to change portable computing profoundly,... * U.S. Sues KBR on Costs32413670 A Justice Department suit accuses one of the U.S. military's largest contractors of improp... * Fire and Fumes Can't Drive Indians From Hellish Village32413422 The Indian government built new apartments to move people out of a dangerous area near coa... * IPad Lands Role in 'Modern Family'32413946 The iPad tablet computer was a pivotal part of the plot in the sitcom 'Modern Family' on W...
NEW! Are you on Facebook? See what content on this site is popular with your friends! Learn more » Your Facebook Friends Are Reading
* IPad Lands Role in 'Modern Family'32413946 The iPad tablet computer was a pivotal part of the plot in the sitcom 'Modern Family' on W... Seen by 8 friends | 2 groups Popular with people in the groups: 1. Stock Junkies 2. Investment Banking | San Francisco * Best of the Web Today: Hello... Hello... Hello...32404702 Do conservatives live in an echo chamber? Seen by 3 friends | 3 groups Popular with people in the groups: 1. Day Traders 2. Stock Junkies 3. Investment Banking | Stanford * Henninger: Would the Founders Love ObamaCare?32381912 The resistance to ObamaCare is about a lot more than the 10th Amendment. •V... Seen by 5 friends | 2 groups Popular with people in the groups: 1. Finance Club 2. Investment Banking | Harvard
Provided by SeenThis? What's This? [x] close
You're seeing a preview of SeenThis? — a Facebook application that helps you discover the latest news, videos and more by showing you what's popular with your friends — both on Facebook, and on sites like this one.
Have a Facebook account? Get recommendations for content popular with your friends by adding the SeenThis? app.
Once you've added it, look for the "Your Facebook Friends Are Reading" section in the sidebar.
Click to add SeenThis? now »
About SeenThis? | Privacy | Feedback Video
* previous * * next
* BMW's New 5 Series 3:55 * The Future of Saab 2:49 * Toyota Incentives Bring Customers Back 1:07
Consumer Auto News
* Administration Sets Car-Mileage Rules * Inside the New York Auto Show * Why It's Easier to Buy a Car Now * Taking the Driver Out of the Car * The Skinny on Self-Parking
Most Popular
* Read * Emailed * Video * Commented
* 1. Laptop Killer? The iPad Comes Close * 2. Opinion: Henninger: Would the Founders Love ObamaCare? *
Subscriber Content Read Preview 3. U.S. Holds Pirates After Standoff * 4. Opinion: Norman Podhoretz: In Defense of Sarah Palin * 5. Opinion: Gary Locke: Don't Believe the Writedown Hype
* 1. Laptop Killer? The iPad Comes Close * 2. Opinion: Henninger: Would the Founders Love ObamaCare? * 3. California Winemakers Battle Smoke Taste * 4. Southwest to Upgrade the Way It Flies *
Subscriber Content Read Preview 5. Cash-Poor Cities Take On Unions
* 1. iPad More Than an Oversized iPod Touch * 2. Badu's "New Amerykah Part Two" * 3. Digits: IPad, Walt Mossberg Expands on His Review * 4. AM Report: TV Networks Strike iPad Deal * 5. What to Expect From the Think City Electric Car
* 1. Opinion: Don't Believe the Writedown Hype454 comments * 2. Opinion: Would the Founders Love ObamaCare?365 comments * 3. Militia Chief's Mistrust Festered, Friends Say358 comments * 4. Opinion: Barack The Good331 comments * 5. Opinion: The ObamaCare Writedowns—II215 comments
* Most Read Articles Feed * Most Emailed Feed * Most Popular Video Feed * Most Commented Feed
Latest Headlines
* Oregon Pear Growers Sour on Law * U.S. Revamps Air-Passenger Screening * Insurers, Regulators Fight on Premiums * EPA Toughens Mining Permits * Factories Revive Economy * Catholics Retool Rosary * Animal Advocates Step Up Tactics * U.S. Sues KBR on Costs * State, Local Tax Revenue Rises * Obama Touts Bill to Small Businesses * More Headlines
Editors' Picks
* previous * * next
* [HOMEFRONT2] Building Your Own Antique * [ROSARY 3] Catholics Retool Rosary * [bard] The Shakespeare Whodunit * [theater2] I've Been to a Marvelous 'Party' * [REMEM.TERHORST] Ford Press Secretary Made News * [ADVISER4] Sour Notes at a Sinatra Show * [REVALUE3] Comparing Apples and Oranges * [tv3] Weekends With the War Channel * [FASHION1] Charity Gives Shoe Brand Extra Shine *
Subscriber Content Read Preview [9w57] Vacancies at a Fancy Address, 9 West * [TACOTAT_2] Free Tacos for the Price of a Tattoo * [SMOKEY] California Winemakers Battle Smoke Taste * [HKWINE_1] Learning Is On the Menu for Foodies * [SFCUP] America's Cup Is Still S.F.'s to Lose *
Subscriber Content Read Preview [KYSEN_2] Tea-Party Drive Stirs Kentucky Race * [SP_FEATUREPJ1] How Should We Feel About UConn? *
Subscriber Content Read Preview [CALGOV_Whitman] California Race Looks to Fall
Consumer Auto News
* Administration Sets Car-Mileage Rules * Inside the New York Auto Show * Why It's Easier to Buy a Car Now * Taking the Driver Out of the Car * The Skinny on Self-Parking
Video
* previous * * next
* BMW's New 5 Series 3:55 * The Future of Saab 2:49 * Toyota Incentives Bring Customers Back 1:07
Email Newsletters and alerts vigalchin@gmail.com Email Newsletters and Alerts
The latest news and analysis delivered to your in-box. Check the boxes below to sign up. WSJ.com Email Features Autos Update Personal Journal Update Submit
The email address vigalchin@gmail.com is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address: Enter Your Email
Sign Up SIGN UP
* New! To sign up for Keyword or Symbol Alerts click here. * To view or change all of your email settings, visit the Email Setup Center.
Thank you ! You will receive in your inbox.
* To view or change all of your email settings, visit the Email Setup Center.
vigalchin@gmail.com Email Newsletters and Alerts
The latest news and analysis delivered to your in-box. Check the boxes below to sign up. WSJ.com Email Features Autos Update This Week's Most Popular On the Editorial Page Submit
The email address vigalchin@gmail.com is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address: Enter Your Email
Sign Up SIGN UP
* * Manage Email Preferences
Thank you ! You will receive in your inbox.
* Manage Email Preferences
Answer a Question
* Journal Community
Answers allows you to tap the knowledge of Community members. Answer a question below or ask a question.
* Jon Orloff asks…
Q: Does anyone have a suggestion for a hybrid 4-door with cargo space similar to a Ford Explorer, say, that can also carry 4 passengers comfortably.
Please fill out the answer field.
The language you used does not comply with community standards. Please re-enter. Enter your answer
* Answer
More questions:
* o Eric Vander Linden asks… Q:Audi Q5. This seems to be the best luxury crossover. Is this true or am I missing something? ... * o Matthew Sams asks… Q:The auto industry was really starting to pull out all of the stops where horsepower and...
Editors' Picks
* previous * * next
* [HOMEFRONT2] Building Your Own Antique * [ROSARY 3] Catholics Retool Rosary * [bard] The Shakespeare Whodunit * [theater2] I've Been to a Marvelous 'Party' * [REMEM.TERHORST] Ford Press Secretary Made News * [ADVISER4] Sour Notes at a Sinatra Show * [REVALUE3] Comparing Apples and Oranges * [tv3] Weekends With the War Channel * [FASHION1] Charity Gives Shoe Brand Extra Shine *
Subscriber Content Read Preview [9w57] Vacancies at a Fancy Address, 9 West * [TACOTAT_2] Free Tacos for the Price of a Tattoo * [SMOKEY] California Winemakers Battle Smoke Taste * [HKWINE_1] Learning Is On the Menu for Foodies * [SFCUP] America's Cup Is Still S.F.'s to Lose *
Subscriber Content Read Preview [KYSEN_2] Tea-Party Drive Stirs Kentucky Race * [SP_FEATUREPJ1] How Should We Feel About UConn? *
Subscriber Content Read Preview [CALGOV_Whitman] California Race Looks to Fall
Journal Community
* close window
Hello
Your question to the Journal Community Your comments on articles will show your real name and not a username.Why?
Why use your real name? The Journal Community encourages thoughtful dialogue and meaningful connections between real people. We require the use of your full name to authenticate your identity. The quality of conversations can deteriorate when real identities are not provided. Please enter your first and last name First name: Last name:
Create a Journal Community profile to avoid this message in the future. (As a member you agree to use your real name when participating in the Journal Community)
* Post * Cancel
* Privacy Policy * Community Rules
Notice:
Your participation access with Journal Community has been disabled due to violation of Journal Community Guidelines.
If you feel you have reached this status change in error, please contact TBD@wsj.com
* back to top * WSJ.com Account: o My Account o Subscriber Billing Info Create an Account: o Register for Free o Subscribe Now Help & Information Center: o Help o Customer Service o Contact Us o New on WSJ.com o Tour the new Journal * About: o News Licensing o Advertising o Advertise Locally o Conferences o About Dow Jones o Privacy Policy - Updated o Subscriber Agreement & Terms of Use - Updated o Copyright Policy o Jobs at WSJ.com o Future Leadership Program * WSJ.com: o Site Map o Home o World o U.S. o Business o Markets o Market Data o Tech o Personal Finance o Life & Style o Opinion o Autos o Careers o Real Estate o Small Business o Corrections * Tools & Formats: o Today's Paper o Video Center o Graphics o Columns o Blogs o Topics o Guides o Alerts o Newsletters o Mobile o Podcasts o RSS Feeds o Journal Community + - Message Center o WSJ on Twitter o WSJ on Facebook o My Journal * The Wall Street JournalDigital Network o WSJ.com o Marketwatch.com o Barrons.com o SmartMoney.com o AllThingsD.com o FINS.com o FiLife.com o BigCharts.com o Virtual Stock Exchange o WSJ U.S. Edition o WSJ Asia Edition o WSJ Europe Edition o WSJ India Page o Foreign language editions: o WSJ Chinese o WSJ Japanese o WSJ Portuguese o WSJ Spanish
ACAP Enabled Copyright ©2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Save to ↓ More
Save This ↓ More
Saved ↓ More
Please log in or register for free to use Save This.
* Log In * Register
* What is Save This?
Save to
* + New Collection * Go to Save & Share »
Name your new Collection and click save.
* Save * Cancel
* Go to Save & Share »
* Go to Save & Share »
Journal Community
* close window
Hello, William Halchin
Your comments on articles will show your real name William Halchin and not a username.Why?
Why use your real name? The Journal Community encourages thoughtful dialogue and meaningful connections between real people. We require the use of your full name to authenticate your identity. The quality of conversations can deteriorate when real identities are not provided.
Create a Journal Community profile to avoid this message in the future. (As a member you agree to use your real name when participating in the Journal Community)
* Post * Cancel
* Privacy Policy * Community Rules
This feature requires membership in the Journal Community.
Become a member to get the most from your Wall Street Journal experience. It's free and easy to join.
As a member, you agree to use your full name when participating.
* BECOME A MEMBER * JOIN LATER
* Privacy Policy * Community Rules _______________________________________________ Haskell-Cafe mailing list Haskell-Cafe@haskell.org http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe
On Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 2:28 PM, Vasili I. Galchin
Sorry for no "Subject" on the first post. In any case, I meant this Wall Street Journal as a challenge to the Haskell community to perhaps "step up to the plate" in the auto arena vis-a-vis software correctness. I realize that with hard real-time problems and a garbage collector that that could be a problem. In any case , enjoy.
Our group at Eaton uses Haskell to program vehicle computers that control hybrid powertrains for heavy duty trucks -- garbage to be specific. Our systems interface with engines, transmissions, brake controllers, and yes, accelerator pedals. (It's a good thing garbage trucks don't have floor mats.) Haskell and Atom help us maintain correctness in several ways. For one, Haskell GADTs ensure type correctness of the generated C code. I find it interesting that a type system in one language can prevent type problems in another. Another benefit is the type system distinguishes between stateful and stateless operations. This helps manage how state is modified in an embedded control program, which by its nature tend to be a complex state machine. For example: doSomething :: E Bool -> E Bool -> E Bool -- Guaranteed not to change state. versus in C: bool doSomething(bool, bool); // No guarantees what this thing does under the hood. One thing specific to Atom is it makes it very easy to create multi-rate programs without having to partition a lot of code and hook it up to an RTOS task scheduler, or worse, having to schedule it by hand. Often I find myself deep in the design of a feature and realized I need to perform a task at a faster or slower rate than the surrounding code. If it were C, I would have to plumb out all the communicating variables, create a handful of mutex locks, and bind it to a task scheduler. In Atom, I simply specify a different execution period: period 20 $ atom "someTask" $ do ... But I think the biggest gain is Atom's guarded atomic actions. There is something about writing a block of code and knowing it will execute atomically without anything else getting in the way. I find it difficult to explain the benefits of this type of embedded programming paradigm -- it usually only comes with practice. In fact, I didn't fully appreciate Atom until I started using it on a large production design -- and I'm the one who wrote the library. Of course, nothing is perfect. It is still possible to write buggy programs with Haskell+Atom. But as Simon PJ stated in a presentation, "the bugs you can write are far more interesting." Of course, our definition of "interesting" is when hardware grinds together and metal chunks fly through the air. -Tom
By BEN WORTHEN
U.S. regulators on Tuesday announced a broad investigation into automotive computer systems and software, which have come under scrutiny because of sudden acceleration and other reports involving some Toyota Motor Corp. cars.
An examination of Toyota's problems will be conducted by experts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, while the National Academy of Sciences, which advises the government, will undertake a separate, 15-month study into the use of computer technology in cars, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.
Toyota has said there is no evidence that software or electronic systems are responsible for sudden acceleration in its cars. The company "repeatedly and rigorously" tests its software and has subjected it to outside review, a spokesman said.
Electronics have led to some of the biggest safety breakthroughs in vehicles, such as antilock brakes and stability control. Software controls an ever-growing variety of functions in cars, including braking and accelerating. Increasingly, cars include software that links these systems to do things like parallel park the vehicle or remember the seat positions, temperatures and radio stations preferred by different drivers.
"Ninety percent of all innovation in cars today is driven by software," said Ingolf Krueger, an associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California in San Diego.
No surprise then that software is sometimes to blame when things go wrong. While Toyota has received most of the attention, other car makers have had software-related incidents.
Ford Motor Co.'s 2010 Fusion Hybrid has a high-tech braking system that also recharges its battery through a process called regenerative braking. Software monitors sensors in the car and determines when to engage the conventional braking system instead. Several drivers filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agency responsible for vehicle safety, stating that they depressed the brake pedal as far as possible but the brakes didn't engage.
A Ford spokesman said a sensor on the car was set too sensitively and that software interpreted the signal to mean it should skip the regenerative braking step. The company issued a software upgrade that it said would take care of the issue, avoiding a recall.
In November 2008, General Motors Co. recalled 12,662 of its 2009 model year Cadillac CTS sedans because a software glitch caused the passenger-side air bag to be turned off when it should have been active.
That same year, Volkswagen AG recalled 4,079 2008 Passats because of software that didn't properly control the engine idle while the air conditioning was on. And Toyota in February recalled 2010 Priuses to fix the software in their antilock brakes that some owners said led to delays in the brakes engaging.
To date, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has evaluated software and electronic systems only as part of other reviews, such as whether an air bag deploys when it is supposed to, a spokeswoman said. The agency doesn't have any software or electronics specialists on staff, she added.
Auto software has some distinct characteristics. For one thing, the programs are relatively simple and are designed to be embedded in simple components—typically eight-bit and 16-bit computer chips, compared with more advanced 32-bit and 64-bit microprocessors found in most personal computers.
The simplicity is intended to make the software more reliable—the fewer things it is asked to do, the less likely it is to experience a problem.
Indeed, Mr. Krueger said automotive software has led to some of the biggest jumps in safety and fuel efficiency. Electronic stability-control systems, which detect when a car is skidding and automatically deploy the brakes, have reduced the number of vehicles that flip over, he said.
In an effort to improve the quality of software in vehicles several car makers in 2003 founded the Automotive Open System Architecture group to create standards. These systems have become enormously complex, said Simon Fuerst, a spokesman for the group, all the more so because car makers traditionally use their own proprietary software formats.
Raj Rajkumar, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has recently been studying the software in a Lexus IS250, a car made by Toyota, that experienced sudden acceleration. His hypothesis is that a software glitch caused the vehicle's fail-safe mode—which typically shuts off or reduces engine power in the event of a system failure—to not to kick in when it should.
But he said he isn't certain and his study is made more difficult by the fact he doesn't have access to the software code used in the car.
Mr. LaHood on Tuesday said that many members of Congress feel "there's something wrong with the electronics, not only just in Toyotas but in other automobiles, too. We felt that we really needed to look into this." —Josh Mitchell contributed to this article.Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page B1
Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
participants (2)
-
Tom Hawkins -
Vasili I. Galchin