Given the ongoing chip shortage, will car makers ever go chip-less?
No. It is not possible to meet today's regulatory requirements without computerized engine controls.
Computerized systems are a great way to cut costs, no need to create complex circuits or create expensive mechanical components with moving parts when you can program a general purpose control chip (that costs mere cents) to do the same thing for a fraction of the cost.
So, Nope! that would require expensive and complex mechanical components we don't know how to make.
Besides, who would buy a not computer controlled car?
Besides, some car companies do not have accesses to some chips (not because of the supposed shortage that but due other geopolitical events) to and have actually began taking out functionality out of their cars - would you buy a car with no automatic transmissions, no emissions, no ABS, no intelligent manual transmission (they've gone back to 50s transmissions where you need to double clutch cause no synchronizers), no ESP, no infotainment, like... just nothing?
I'm sure there are some people that would buy such a car. But even if it were legal, there are not enough of those people to make it worthwhile for car makers.
Not in any developed countries. Not a chance.
Only if car makers can figure out how to make cars that meet all the emissions and gas requirements, with out the use of chips.
