Technology

Yeah from a repairability stand point that's probably a key factor

"If we have our own plug and our own protocol then that means they have to use our tool, and if we don't license the software or sell the tool then they have to come back and pay our prices."

Italian?

I would be surprised at that; my understanding is OBD-II is just a breakout for the vehicle's CAN bus.

Fiat implemented a "firewall" for their port, without the right device you cannot connect to it.

It was implemented to prevent thefts, people hack the car through the ODB port or through the CAN bus connection.

Its easier for them to lock down access rather than fix the fact you can drive a keyless car without the key.

Established manufacturers could technically ditch the port on EV models, but they don't because they have other models which are still ICE, so they need it there. Many of the modules are shared between models, so they use the same bus when it's ICE, hybrid, or EV.

Reporting error codes for specific parts of the battery, errors in the coolant system, error codes for specific sensors throughout the vehicle, etc

Or considering basically all EVs I've seen have some big screens rather than gauges perhaps having the ability to put the vehicle in a diagnostic mode that will display error codes and allow you to check on specific sensors (like read the heath of each individual battery cell for example) without the need for an external device to check

Basically having the ability to fix something that we bought ourselves rather than having to go to the dealership to get it fixed and hope that they'll still service a vehicle of whatever age I bring in

This is also a important example of how much less crap there is in a electric vs ICE vehicle.

Yes the battery materials are mined (so are many other things) but the sheer subtraction of these various mechanisms from a electric vehicle greatly reduces the environment impact not to mention a great reduction in fluids required.

Dealers hate this one hack as the service requirements are fairly low too.

OBDII has standard info that's the same from one brand to another but it also transfers proprietary info that depends on the reader having the ability to interpret it.

My OBDII Bluetooth dongle lets me get diagnostic codes for much more than emission systems (using Car Scanner app where you choose the type of car you're diagnosing) and it also allows me to reprogram car features with the right app (ex adding an Europe only feature to a Canadian BMW i3 with Bimmercode). It would be perfectly adapted as an EV diagnostic port.

This is kinda a weird question. What happens when a car has an extra sensor most other cars don’t have? The system adapts. Not to mention, most cars put out some unique info regardless, which is why you need to enter (or auto scan for) the make and model before all values are properly readable.

This is what someone with absolutely no knowledge of info you can bed from those ports is.

So just to name a few:

Battery temp, cell resistance, charge level of each cell, throttle position, abs info, wheel rpm, blendor actuator position, ac activation, heater power draw, "and more".

Imagine having a computer you could never run diagnostics of any kind on, or even get to check into what you thought was wrong. That's half of what an EV is.