Electric vehicles are changing the way Americans “fill up”. There are also changes in the cabin. No more start / stop buttons. Radio dials are now programmed into massive tablets mounted on the center dash. Simple functions such as seat heating and air conditioning via an oversized screen.
Automakers are making electric vehicles incredibly strict, targeting motorists who are used to doing almost everything on their phones.
“A lot of it is” Follow the Leader, “” said Ed Kim, vice president of AutoPacific. “Tesla’s Model S started the idea that a premium EV would have a huge screen. There can be a strong tendency to emulate your benchmark. Right now, Tesla is the benchmark.”
Teslas attracts buyers who are “tech savvy and have a high level of comfort with technology,” said Kim. Legacy and mainstream automakers eager to steal sales from Tesla are mimicking the giant tablet-like screens and bare interiors of every Tesla vehicle.
The redesigned interior of the Tesla Model S.
These ultra-modern and experimental interiors have their drawbacks – and critics. Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com, said that large screens can be very distracting. They could also function incorrectly.
“The idea is that the computer is smarter than you. Without a doubt, I ran into a situation where the computer didn’t know what to do,” he told ABC News. “And if the screen fails, not everything works.”
Dustin Krause, director of e-Mobility North America at Volkswagen, argued that futuristic technology shouldn’t stop American drivers, many of whom are still cautious and unsure about electric vehicles, from buying one. No screen is required in the Volkswagen ID.4 crossover to change songs or turn on the ventilated seats.
“You just have to say ‘Hello ID’ to activate the voice assistant,” Krause told ABC News. “Asking a car to perform functions isn’t that uncommon – consumers use it [Apple’s] Siri and [Amazon’s] Alexa. For most ID.4 drivers this is a matter of course. “
The ID.4, the new all-electric crossover from Volkswagen, does not have its own start / stop button.
He and some engineers even tried to trick the system by saying “My bum is cold” instead of “Turn on the heated seats”. The car could do the job. The only command that is not possible? Roll down the windows. That, too, could change in the near future.
The engineers at ID.4 decided against a giant screen. But they converted the gear stick to a rotary knob and eliminated the start / stop button. Krause said the goal is to create a “simple and intuitive cockpit” and a “clear center console”.
“Just hit the brake pedal when you’re seated and the car starts,” he said. “Select Park and when you leave the vehicle, the ID.4 will be switched off.”
He added, “We’re trying to make the transition to an electric vehicle easier.”
The switch lever on the ID.4 is a rotary knob.
Ford went to great lengths to gather customer feedback while developing the seductive Mustang Mach-E SUV. Studios have been set up in the UK, China, and Michigan inviting locals to sit in a mock interior of the Styrofoam-made electric SUV and rearrange it. Designers watched from the sidelines, taking notes, and tweaking their sketches based on how attendees reacted to the booth.
“With this BEV [battery electric vehicle] This platform gave us the opportunity to redesign and reconfigure the space, “Josh Greiner, senior interior designer at the Mustang Mach-E, told ABC News.” We were able to design exactly what we wanted and let the chassis follow suit. “
A woman tests an early prototype of the Mustang Mach-E SUV at the Ford Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan in 2019.
The Mach-E has one of the largest screens in the EV segment – 15.5 inches – and many of the controls, including driving modes, are screen-only. The interior is also simple and sparse, which was intended. Greiner described it as a “calm and serene environment”.
“Everything about the Mach-E is digital, even the door handles,” he said. “We didn’t want levers and switches to clutter the interior.”
Ford’s best-selling cars and trucks like the F-150 are largely immune to this trend, Greiner said, adding, “When you buy a BEV, you are more advanced about technology. This is for a very specific customer.”
Most of the cabin of the Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV consists of a massive 15.5-inch screen.
The team behind the upcoming iX Sports Activity Vehicle from BMW opted for a dramatic interior that was inspired by modern architecture.
“We wanted to create something like an attic on wheels,” said Adrian Van Hooydonk, Design Director of the BMW Group. “A comfortable seating arrangement, a large flat screen TV and not much more, to be honest.”
The BMW iX SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) is expected to arrive in the USA in early 2022.
The vehicle was designed “inside out” and the hidden speakers, slim instrument panel, lack of buttons and panoramic glass roof give the cabin an airy, spacious feel.
“We’re not switchless, but we definitely have a lot fewer switches,” said Van Hooydonk. “We were able to reduce elements by combining them.”
The modern interior of the fully electric BMW iX.
The fully electric Kia EV6 crossover, which will go on sale in the second half of 2021, has a curved high-tech infotainment screen and seats made from recycled plastic.
The design of an “inspiring space” was the “most important thing for us,” said Jochen Paesen, Kias Vice President for Interior Design. “We believe EV6 can inspire customers by encouraging their creativity.”
The cabin of the new all-electric SUV Kia EV6 has a “seamless high-tech” arched infotainment screen, according to the automaker.
A vertical 11.15-inch screen replaces almost all switches, buttons and buttons on the Polestar 2. Like the ID.4, the electric sedan does not have its own start / stop button, and navigation, entertainment and air conditioning are on the screen running screen. The integration of Polestar 2 with Google’s native infotainment system, an industry first, stands out from the crowd. The avant-garde, minimalist interior is a traditional Scandinavian design.
“The car is now part of your connected life – if you want it to be,” Polestar chief operating officer Jonathan Goodman told ABC News.
The Polestar 2 has a minimalist, Scandinavian-influenced design.
The average screen size in vehicles is now 8 inches, according to AutoPacific research. Kim said consumers in general want more screen real estate, not less.
“Bigger screens have functional advantages: bigger fonts that are easier to read and less cross-eyed. Bigger screens don’t necessarily mean more distractions,” he said.
The Polestar 2 has a large touchscreen in the middle that controls the temperature and seat heating, among other things.
There are limitations in technology, even for Kim. He gave examples of Tesla’s Model 3 wipers controlled by the Model S screen and digital gear stick.
These redesigns “could be out of comfort for a mainstream consumer,” admitted Kim. “A difficult interface can absolutely put off buyers, especially older ones.”
Brewer suggested that automakers ditch traditional buttons to cut costs.
“It’s a lot cheaper to design a digital user interface than creating multiple hard controls with dials, springs, and buttons,” he said.
When Mercedes-Benz officially unveils its much-touted all-electric EQS sedan on April 15, consumers could experience a shock.
The sci-fi interior is the most extreme of any electric vehicle on the market. A curved, 56-inch-wide “hyperscreen”, consisting of three separate displays, cocoons the interior. Scratch-resistant aluminum silicate protects the display and the advanced molding process of the screen reduces glare and distortion across the entire width of the vehicle, according to the company.
The hyperscreen in the upcoming Mercedes EQS spans the driver’s instrument cluster, the middle display and the front passenger area.
Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at Mercedes-Benz, said he saw renders of a 3D screen for the first time five years ago and “loved it”.
“I had to do it,” he told ABC News. “The car is super futuristic and revolutionary. As a designer, I always strive for reduction.”
The start / stop button is the only physical switch in the entire vehicle. The screen gives access to all functions, but drivers can also rely on the AI voice assistant. Wagener admitted that voice commands will probably even make screens obsolete one day.
“The EQS is the first of its kind – years mostly what else can be bought,” he said. “We have completely reinvented the car.”
