You should have more screens than you think.
Modern cars use screens more than ever before. The size of central displays is increasing (some as large as 15 inches on the Tesla Model 3), and analog instrument clusters are being replaced by digital tachometers. However, the Hyundai latest study takes the number of screens to an entirely new level. The brand’s newest virtual cockpit even features screens on the steering wheel.
The Hyundai study, which has been called “the future car’s cockpit”, shows an with a central touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster. There are also two small screens located behind the thumbs on the steering wheel. The manual makes things even more complicated. Why the i30?
Regina Kaiser, Senior Engineer in Human Machine Interface at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre, states that the i30 was chosen to show that innovation is not restricted to higher-segment vehicles. “Hyundai wants to show that innovation can be achieved for a wide customer base,” says Regina Kaiser, Senior Engineer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center.
Hyundai claims that this virtual cockpit will make driving easier. Kaiser says that “We are constantly working on new technologies to make our cars intuitive and user-friendly.” These screens can be configured with up to five buttons per display and offer haptic feedback for easy use.
This is Hyundai’s fourth version of the virtual cockpit. It was first presented by Hyundai in 2015. Since then, the company has been tweaking it marginally. The new steering wheel-mounted-touchscreens and digital instrument cluster are multi-layer displays (two screens separated by six mm) that create a 3D effect. Dual screens are supposedly easier to read for drivers.
This virtual cockpit is not going to be produced. Hyundai will instead integrate elements of the concept into future Hyundai vehicles.