2024 Kia EV6, stock head unit.
Edit with some quick notes because I didn’t realize this blew up:
This is NOT yet usable as a replacement to stock. Working:
- Boots! (32 bit only because stock is 32bit, so no AAOS)
- Display
- Touch
- WiFi
- Maybe BT
- Maybe Modem (not gonna test that)
- GPS (uses translation daemon)
- Climate/controls/sensors/some energy stats - as much as MICOM provides anyway (uses translation daemon)
- GPU
- VPU (really need to test more)
Not working yet:
- Audio/amp control
- Power sequencing like when to turn off display, wake/sleep etc
- Any kind of head unit experience (this will come later, I’ll try AGL first, and if I can get 64 bit then I’ll try AAOS)
Use NEMESIS to get root on Android: https://github.com/xwtk/hmg_nemesis
Blog post that has a small section on this: https://w-floyd.com/2026/10/notes-on-llms-part-01/#2024-kia-ev6-head-unit I’ll post more there as I find the time. I am using LLMs for a lot of the heavy lifting as I try things out (never to write my blog). I link to my GitHub repos there, where this work is being actively pushed.
I only bought this car a week ago.
Don’t be an idiot and actually reflash your unit if you try this - I am using kexec to boot from an image from the USB, so this is completely nondestructive (NEMESIS is what actually is installed to the system).
Some more photos!
But does it run Doom?
I’m about to pay 20 dollars for 1 month of Claude, plug that shit into my BYD, and have it hack the shit out of it. I can’t code to save my own life, so I guess I’m tossing those 20 bucks over to Dario and see how my car battery melts in the middle of the night (on the cameras, I’ll either be sleeping or watching animé).
Congrats! Your changes will not be accepted, though: https://docs.nura.eco/policies-and-processes/development/ai-policy.html
Not that anyone there would buy or borrow a car to make sure the port isn’t a hoax. I know it’s just the head unit but I don’t know if Android will boot out of chassis (it’s usually picky like that) and you said you are kexec-ing.
I’m fascinated by all the humans dunking on the obvious LLM trollbot, over and over again, elsewhere in this post.
I’m daily driving Linux
You’re daily driving Linux
We’re not the sane
“You wouldn’t download a car!”
Yes I would.
Anyway, I’m glad to finally see something like this. Finally, the start of open source software in vehicles.
Linux is my daily driver guy
Amazing 👏
I was looking atthe dash, excited to see my car! Is it a projection from a phone or flashed onto the head unit?
Finally, the future of automotives we all actually want. This is AWESOME. :D
heeeell yeah
Glorious Gnome as all things should be.
Oh man, is that the Gen5w head unit that’s also on the ioniq 5 and 6? Don’t put dangerous ideas in my head…
If yours Android based, maybe? I’m still learning about the broader ecosystem
Lol - it runs Doom! I love it
Not working yet: * Audio
Yeah, you already said it was running Linux. (I love Linux, just funny how audio always seems to be so difficult to get working properly)
Very cool, I like it!
I had that experience, too. Then, some years back, I just stopped having issues with audio in Linux, it Just Worked.
But, maybe a year ago, my desktop machine started this thing where there is noise when the audio driver is active (I’m guessing, I don’t really know). That is, if the system plays a sound, for some seconds after that, I’ll hear noise from the speakers. Then it cuts off, until the next sound is played.
I’ve done some searching on the issue, without useful results, everything is about the power saving setting, which has had no effect for me. And the issue those people are having is different than mine, and I haven’t hit on quite the right search terms to distinguish.
Similar thing happened to me, I think it was the switch to pipewire that made everything just work.
screams in pipewire
I’m going to take a wild swing here and say that’s probably because there’s still a load more audio controller ICs out there than for other interfaces and/or the other interfaces are more standardised on the firmware drivers. Therefore not all drivers cover all audio ICs so it’s a bit of a faff to find the right one.
Absolute fucking legend here.
What would be really cool is if Doom responded to the steering.
Tesla has a racing game that does exactly that, but most of the vehicles still have mechanical steering linkage, so the actual wheels turn along with the game. It’s not as bad for the tires as you’d think, but it’s still ridiculous.
A legend in what sense? Doom is so optimized (beatifully, in fact) one could port it anywhere.
Seriously, anywhere.
Now, a legend would be someone dresses up as a maintenance tech for self checkout kiosks and installs Doom to kick on when it normally asks for coupons. Oh my god, not advocating in any way, but that would be punk as fuck.
And on that note, I am going to backpedal into the bushes, but peep out: "Doom is very optimized and built on C. You can port that shit to ship ports. You can run Doom on glasses. You can run Doom on a taco, given the system requirements.
Getting it to run on a car? Meh. I got it running on a TI-85 a quarter of a century ago.
So meh.
Ladies and gentlemen, this might actually be the most pretentious poster on Lemmy. I propose a toast to witnessing this great moment. Huzzah.
Yup. You won.
They’re the only user I’ve used user tags for on the site. They should be proud.
It’s not the doom that’s impressive, it’s installing a Linux distro in a car…
Spot on. I would love to do the same to my car but it’s locked down tighter than a duck’s arse.
Yeah… to an extent.
Man, don’t get me wrong: for an early project this is cool. I am not trying to rain on someone’s parade.
It’s cool! Super cool! I am glad they had fun.
But dude, I am a systems engineer. You wouldn’t believe the shit I have recompiled kernels for.
That’s the thing. Super happy for them. Awesome! And I am sure they learned some shit along the way, and that is so great!
I deeply encourage people to learn, experiment and create.
But I am getting a lot of backlash, but lets make this clearer:
I have been working professionally in systems, networking, and programming hands on for 30 years. Cool, and neat, and an interesting thing to try when we have a weekend and a 12 pack.
Curious where they hit the brick walls. No details there. Just pics and some base notes.
Props to OP, and I apologize for I guess being a dick for half-shrugging… while I worked today as a systems engineering manager.
So many responses: do you all go to work or sleep or have social activities? Just read? Man, but I am a troll; not you, just what others have said.
You know, I took an old iphone and made it a webserver. Why? I was high, to be honest.
Why? Because the dude on my couch challenged me. It even ran wordpress (though the db was running off my server). Why? Man, we were fucking stoned.
And it was annoying because he wasn’t helping, just there. Like when playing basketball and someone is trying to block your shot and all you wanted to do was play Horse.
Drunk ramble?
No.
Lol obvious troll is obvious.
What trolling? Have you looked at the code? It is actually quite beautiful.
You’re so cool, and a 1337 haxor as well.
Because I read the code? It is wonderful code.
I don’t know about this leet shit, but I have been in the field for 25 years and I do stupid ass mods for fun.
Like, I built an MP3 player from hardware scratch, like I actually started with a custom PCB. My coworker’s kid wasn’t allowed to have his phone in class, the father had a 3D printer, so I threw some shit together.
What fucking sub is this in? You can run Doom on toasters because it is just C, which is like a simple step away from assembly.
This is so fucking stupid. Sorry, I just happen to be a systems and network engineer who also does low level programming. My fucking bad. Great conversation.
Like, I built an MP3 player from hardware scratch, like I actually started with a custom PCB. My coworker’s kid wasn’t allowed to have his phone in class, the father had a 3D printer, so I threw some shit together.
Oh do go on, tell us about how cool you are. You should get ALL the praise and attention, and all projects must be ridiculed for not being as cool as yours.
Wait, you forgot to list that one project where you got a Linux distro running on a car infotainment unit but ran Crysis on it instead of stupid doom and shared the details with the community. You forgot to bring that up, right?
No, I didn’t. That shit won’t run Crysis.
Stop being a dick. You are projecting your dickness onto me.
This isn’t about Doom, ffs… For someone that reads code, you sure are dense.
Not really? So OP compiled the Linux kernel to the chip architecture, which was the real feat, and that is admirable, and then played Doom. Cool!
Cool, man. I am getting heat because I am asking what they would do with it, as running a custom OS on your damn death machine is alone dangerous, but let’s test it out by playing the most opened source and well optimized code on the fucking planet… that is the predessor to the real grandpa of FPS… on your fucking car screen… hold up: what is the make, model, year, bluetooth adapter hardware ID or at least which chipset, the wifi chipset, the video chipset, how were each of these compiled to… hold up, what is the CPU used in this year, make, and model of car?
One of these days, people are going to figure out why I said what I said. Not holding my breath.
Edit: to be VERY clear, the structure of the comment was to literally mock you.
Just didn’t want you to assume that I don’t know how to write. And I am not upset. Just being sardonic.
Getting Nura running on a car head unit isn’t just “compiling the kernel for a different architecture” and if you knew half of what you claim to know, you’d know that. That is, in fact, the easiest part and not “the real feat” by any means.
I know it isn’t. But it is a necessary step. And you should know that as well.
The cool part is that they figured out how to interface with it.
Why is everyone just trying to be the bigger asshole? Are you just begging for it because you think I am the biggest prick?
You can run Doom on a fridge. I am not saying the feat isn’t admirable. I bet it was tough to get Doom to run on a C64. That’s very cool, as is the achievement that this post is about.
I don’t understand the itch in your ass.
You seem like the type of person that doesn’t just love the smell of their own farts, but thinks everyone else does too.
spoiler
They don’t.
Ahkay.