Beep Beep go the Open-Source Jeeps

Open-source software is a pretty familiar concept to most geeks.  But what about an open-source car?  The idea is more than just a theoretical mash-up of computing terms and the automotive world.  Quite a few companies are working to bring the collaborative nature of open-source idea generation to the pavement, and some of their prototypes certainly blow the best of today's auto market right out of the water.  At least, they're pretty stunning in the design department.  Because that's the problem with a piece of hardware as complicated as an open-source car -- a concept is one thing, but execution seems to be a bit more difficult than creating a piece of software.

First up is the Common car.  It's actually called "c,mm,n," minus that extra comma in the end--that's actually for grammar's sake, not a part of the name.  I'll leave it to you to decipher exactly why the Dutch originators of the concept decided to forgo vowels in the naming of this smart car-lookalike.  Still, this prototype automobile caught my eye, as it was just recently on display at the big Amsterdamn car show, AutoRAI.  

The details of the car are geared toward maximum sustainability.  That's why you're not going to find a gas engine in the C,mm,n.  It's a hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions vehicle that's attempting to use open-source as the backbone for future engineering creativity.  The originators of the C,mmm,n vehicle hope that tinkerers of all kinds will contribute their ideas and technical know-how to the car's design--initially on a Wiki set up by the developers, but beyond that, in social groups and garages of their very own.  At the very least, C'mm'n needs a translator, as much of the official site's English version is still wrapped in the mysteries of Dutch.

EDAG, a German company, recently unveiled its own open source vehicular prototype dubbed, "Light car - Open Source."  It's safe to say that this, too, will be a car whose features can be tweaked and modified by members of the community.  Although it's unclear whether EDAG will be as open to the general public with its schematics as the C,mm,n prototype.  It seems that EDAG is willing to partner with other developers to further enhance the "Light Car - Open Source's" innovative technology.

The lithium-ion-powered car's futuristic exterior is accentuated by OLED lights, transforming the car's paneling from a slick, opaque design into a customizable, lit-up informational display.  Drivers can allegedly customize the outline of the car's various lights as they see fit--an unheard-of technique that's sure to turn sports logos into brake lights, should this car ever see the light of day. Drivers can apply these same levels of customization to the interface panels inside the car, as well as the car's rear.  EDAG envisions a future where drivers can gleam information about the road and condition of the car in front of them just by staring at the informative, changing display on its butt.  Car-to-car communications--can it be done?

Third on the list is the OScar.  But I mention this more to round out a full list than anything else.  Established in 1999, the concept for this open-source, community-driven car design seems to have fallen by the wayside in the past few years.   While the originators agree that the OScar is more than just a vehicle, perhaps they've found the most success in helping the rest of the community realize the potential of open-source development as it relates to complicated, everyday hardware.  For I can't ever see a working, tangible OScar reaching the light of day--the site's primary documents haven't even been updated since 2006.  And the main forums?  Totally down.  

If anything, the plight of the OScar serves as a gentle reminder of the old, unrepeatable adage related to ideas.   A lot of people have ideas.  A lot of people banded together on a common principle can turn their ideas into a wonderful, open-source discussion.  And sometimes, even a product might emerge from the fruits of their labors.  But building a car ain't like dusting crops--given how resilient the market is toward anything that doesn't run on gas in some variety, it's difficult to envision a future where lofty, high-tech ideas like hydrogen-powered vehicles and open-source skip hand-in-hand through the production line.