Put a Web Server in Everything

Adding software to hardware to make it function or function better has been a common practice for nearly half a century, especially in the auto industry. But the nature of the interaction between hardware and software has changed in pretty fundamental ways, especially in the past decade since the debut of the Tesla Model S. Increasingly, the software defines the capability of the hardware rather than simply enabling it, and it relies on connectivity to remote data centers. Today’s business environment is increasingly fluid, with many companies making sudden changes to business strategy, canceling products, or going out of business entirely. This is becoming increasingly problematic for customers who often no longer have the option to purchase products like vehicles or EV charging equipment that aren’t connected.

During the first half of my career as an engineer, I developed electronic control systems in the auto industry. The software for systems like anti-lock brakes or stability control was deeply tied to the hardware it controlled, with no expectation that it would be changed over the life of the vehicle. If the manufacturer of that vehicle or the suppliers I worked for that provided those systems went out of business, the vehicle would continue to function unchanged until it was simply worn out.

With ubiquitous connectivity and the availability of rewritable flash memory, all manner of industries have transformed devices that previously just worked into so-called “smart” devices. Light bulbs are no longer a device you screw into a socket then turn on with the flip of a switch. Laundry machines now send messages to your phone or watch when a wash cycle is done. Software-defined vehicles can now gain new or improved functionality while you sleep.

EV chargers can talk to the servers at local utilities to find out when the lowest electricity rates are available and automatically start charging to ensure the vehicle has a full battery when you need to leave in the morning. They can also coordinate with fleet management systems to schedule when the delivery vans in a depot need to be ready to head out on runs, helping to reduce operational costs.

All of this is great new functionality. Or at least it is until the company behind it determines the business no longer makes sense and decides to switch off the servers that manage all of these systems. This has happened to countless providers of connected devices over the past two decades and will continue to happen. In June 2024, EV startup Fisker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The Fisker Ocean is an attractive, midsize electric SUV, but it suffered from a lot of software issues on early production units. Fisker fixed or improved some of them with updates before its bankruptcy filing, but it’s unlikely that owners will get any additional updates going forward.

At the beginning of October 2024, Enel X Way, the North American unit of Italian-based energy provider Enel, announced it would shutter its charging business and end support of charging management software for its commercial and residential customers with only 10 days’ notice. While some competitors like ChargeLab and Noodoe are attempting to step in and support those customers, they will have to work fast. After October 11, it may no longer be possible to switch those chargers to new service providers.

Many low cost, connected devices already incorporate a built-in web server that allows users to connect directly to manage the device without having to access a remote server. This provides access to device settings and even the ability to update the device firmware. While for security reasons, this would be undesirable on vehicles—at least not without a physical rather than wireless connection—something like this should probably be a requirement for any other connected devices, including chargers. And for all devices, if a company is going to arbitrarily end support for a device, they should at least publish the interface instructions to enable direct software support without access to cloud servers.