OVCS: Raspberry Pi–powered electric car

Whoa, check out this OVCS project! Seriously cool stuff coming out of the makers.<br> <br> So, this crew took an old VW Polo and turned it into a remote-controlled electric car using a Raspberry Pi. The big takeaway here isn't just that it's an EV, but *how* they built the control system. Marc Lainez is talking about breaking that vendor lock-in, which is the real pain point in the car world right now. They want to let different parts from different brands talk to each other seamlessly.<br> <br> The magic here is the Raspberry Pi acting as the universal translator. It's siphoning data from five different CAN networks and routing the messages so the car actually knows what to do. Plus, they threw in a touchscreen infotainment system and a remote control bridge. It sounds like they're proving that off-the-shelf hardware like the Pi is totally capable of being the brain for a complex vehicle system.<br> <br> What’s awesome is the tech stack they chose—using Elixir/Nerves for the firmware. That shows a real commitment to making the firmware development fast and manageable, which is crucial when dealing with this much hardware communication. This isn't just a cool gadget; it’s a blueprint for a truly modular vehicle future.<br> <br> This totally validates the idea that the EV revolution isn't just about batteries; it's about open, programmable architecture.<br> <br> Source: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/ovcs-raspberry-pi-powered-electric-car/