14 DAY TRIAL // When it’s not being hacked to do uncanny things like forcing the Autopilot to switch lanes, the Tesla onboard computer can do all kinds of cool stuff, including (it seems) playing the role of a full Bitcoin node.
A successful experiment conducted by the developers of Bitcoin project Bcoin showed that you can convert a Tesla electric car into a machine running Bitcoin using nothing but the built-in browser.
Bcoin, which is essentially a Bitcoin protocol alternative supposed to let anyone create a node on a device through the browser, is being used in the Tesla as well, and by the looks of things, everything appears to be running normally.
But while Tesla cars can be used to run Bitcoin, it doesn’t necessarily mean this is a long-term idea anyway.
Don’t try this at home
It’s not a secret that processing Bitcoin block data significantly impacts system performance, and it goes without saying that you really can’t afford that in a car. Given Tesla’s onboard computer is responsible for a wide array of smart systems, you’d want it to run smoothly and avoid any performance hi-cups that a Bitcoin node would obviously create.
Then, Tesla cars have often been criticized for the memory modules that come pre-installed. It’s believed these memory units have a very limited lifespan, so running Bitcoin would significantly impact their long-term reliability, reducing their lifespan even more.
Nevertheless, it’s worth reminding that the experiment here is nothing than an idea which you can try out for fun, but nobody should actually do this for more than a few minutes.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk hasn’t commented on this project, but there’s a chance he’s not very excited with it, especially as more people trying it out could eventually lead to more problems experienced with his cars.
Downloading full blocks to this @Tesla pic.twitter.com/j4L84QycxX — bcoin (@Bcoin) January 16, 2020