Developing for Electric Vehicles: Coding for Tesla vs. Volvo
Electric vehicles (EVs) are no longer just cars with computers inside—they are literally computers on wheels. For developers, this shift opens up a whole new frontier. If you know how to build apps for smartphones or the web, you can now build apps for cars. But how do you actually get started? Today, we will look at how the software ecosystems work for two of the biggest names in the EV market: Volvo and Tesla . As you will see, their approaches to developer environments are completely opposite. --- 1. Volvo: The Open Ecosystem (Android Automotive OS) Volvo was one of the first major manufacturers to adopt Android Automotive OS (AAOS) as its native operating system. This is embedded directly into the car's hardware, meaning it is not just a projection from your phone like Android Auto. How it works for developers: If you know Android development (Kotlin or Java), you already know how to write code for a Volvo. Volvo provides an official Developer Portal with spe...