Comment by elahieh

Comment by elahieh 3 days ago

13 replies

A cryptography angle in the article. Would this be illegal in the US under DMCA?

One of the biggest compatibility challenges, Vallette said, was finding a way to work with Bosch's mid-drive motors. The communications between a Bosch motor and battery are encrypted; after "a serious effort," Gouach's app and battery should work with them, Vallette said.

torginus 3 days ago

And it should soon be illegal under EU right to repair law as well.

  • LelouBil 3 days ago

    France has some reverse engineering exemptions, and I believe compatibility is one of them.

jMyles 3 days ago

...uhh, yeah, certainly seems like a buried lede. What precisely can I do with Gouach's app and a Bosch mid-drive?

  • oulipo 3 days ago

    We managed to reverse-engineer the protocol and to make our battery communicate with the Bosch controllers!

    • clumsysmurf 3 days ago

      What happens when Bosch changes the protocol / encryption just for the heck of it, are you guys back to square one?

      • StopDisinfo910 3 days ago

        > What happens when Bosch changes the protocol / encryption just for the heck of it

        Bosch old batteries don’t work with their own new controller anymore. Not saying it will never happen but Bosch can’t do that every week either.