Hey Ford, where’s my 8155?

[stevec73]

@Ford Motor Company - in China, you’ve offered Electric Horse owners upgrades from the Qualcomm 820a to the 8155. From what I understand, the upgrade is a light technical lift and totally doable. Other Chinese manufacturers have done the same. I bet that many Mach-E owners would be willing to pay for the same upgrade for 2x greater CPU and 4-5x greater GPU performance. I would. Even though recent OTAs have helped, the performance of our APUs leaves a lot to be desired. What gives?

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[generaltso]

I assume you know their only answer will be to ask for your VIN and dealership info?

 

[xxabm]

Does the lightning use the same chip as the Mach-E?

 

[Jimrpa]

@Ford Motor Company - in China, you’ve offered Electric Horse owners upgrades from the Qualcomm 820a to the 8155. From what I understand, the upgrade is a light technical lift and totally doable. Other Chinese manufacturers have done the same. I bet that many Mach-E owners would be willing to pay for the same upgrade for 2x greater CPU and 4-5x greater GPU performance. I would. Even though recent OTAs have helped, the performance of our APUs leaves a lot to be desired. What gives?

I do NOT want any Chinese software in my car! (Yes, I realize you’re talking about a processor upgrade, but there’s no doubt updated software developed to leverage the processor).

HARD PASS (unless Ford confirms that it’s not the Chinese code base).

 

[kltye]

Or, oh, I dunno - maybe make the software suck less? The Snapdragon 820 was a flagship CPU back in the day (yes, I know that day was many, many years ago), but let's face it: The car's interface isn't anything complicated. It's almost as if there's no or very poor hardware acceleration. I have a Snapdragon 835 phone that's still very snappy. (And that CPU was a relatively minor upgrade to the 820)

 

[eleven24]

I do NOT want any Chinese software in my car! (Yes, I realize you’re talking about a processor upgrade, but there’s no doubt updated software developed to leverage the processor).

HARD PASS (unless Ford confirms that it’s not the Chinese code base).

Both the Qualcomm 820a and the 8155 chips are manufactured in Taiwan. The code base leveraging the processor has absolutely nothing to do with where the chip is made.

 

[Nerwyn]

I would absolutely pay for this. Although with the upcoming switch from QNX to Android Automotive as the base for the in vehicle entertainment system I wonder if the possible (but unlikely) upgrade to that would require even more powerful hardware.

 

[Jimrpa]

Both the Qualcomm 820a and the 8155 chips are manufactured in Taiwan. The code base leveraging the processor has absolutely nothing to do with where the chip is made.

I’m not talking about where the chips are made. I’m talking about where the code running on the chip is developed. Someone wants a chip that’s being made available to Chinese vehicles. That means the code developed to run on that chip was developed in China. Hard pass.

 

[stevec73]

I’m not talking about where the chips are made. I’m talking about where the code running on the chip is developed. Someone wants a chip that’s being made available to Chinese vehicles. That means the code developed to run on that chip was developed in China. Hard pass.

Those Chinese vehicles apparently run on the exact same 820a chip that’s in our cars, and the 8155 offers full binary compatibility. This makes sense because it’s a faster, upgraded version of the same architecture.

 

[Jimrpa]

Those Chinese vehicles apparently run on the exact same 820a chip that’s in our cars, and the 8155 offers full binary compatibility. This makes sense because it’s a faster, upgraded version of the same architecture.

And is that code in Chinese vehicles exactly the same as the code in US vehicles? Has this been independently verified by an independent authority?
Remember that 50% of Changan Ford is owned by the Chinese State.

 

[stevec73]

The goal would be to have the 8155 APU running the exact same software that the 820a US-spec APUs run, just much faster. This drop-in replacement should be possible. What I wouldn’t expect is that Ford would branch the code to take specific advantage of the 8155’s capabilities that are not shared with the 820a. Of course, only @Ford Motor Company could actually comment authoritatively on this.

 

[Hammered]

You mean you don't enjoy the stuttering and lag of your galaxy s7 powered 2015 entertainment system? Say it ain't so!?

The performance ranges from 6-19x better depending on the task FWIW...

 

[stevec73]

You mean you don't enjoy the stuttering and lag of your galaxy s7 powered 2015 entertainment system? Say it ain't so!?

The performance ranges from 6-19x better depending on the task FWIW...

I mean, I’m just asking for 2019 here…

 

[Hammered]

I mean, I’m just asking for 2019 here…

Dunno, I'd be happy with a 15% or so overclock if it'd work ?

It's probably ram bottle necked though seeing as how it used to be a 4GB ROM and now it's nearly 7GB.

 

[generaltso]

Of course, only @Ford Motor Company could actually comment authoritatively on this.

They won't. But they'd be happy to get your VIN and dealership info so that they can look into your concern on their end.

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