For the vocal contingent who hate that trendy car interiors are stuffed with screens there’s excellent news and unhealthy information. 

The excellent news is Nissan’s design chief Alfonso Albaisa informed Motor Authority on the 2024 New York auto present that the long run isn’t extra screens and even screens in any respect.

The unhealthy information is the manager mentioned finally the “windshield will likely be your display.” 

Virtually each automaker is working exhausting to cram as many screens on the dashboard and contained in the car as doable. It’s all within the title of content material. Albaisa mentioned “individuals are demanding content material and the display is the one window.”

Albaisa mentioned folks’s want for content material received’t change. “What’s going to vary is you don’t want a display.” 

Sooner or later your complete windshield will likely be your display, in response to Albaisa. Finally we’re going to have the ability to laminate the clear show fabricated from a skinny LED panel proper into the glass. The driving force will nonetheless have the ability to see via the windshield, and everybody will nonetheless have the ability to devour their content material.

Whereas shoppers would possibly declare they need to revert to analog parts, the fact is Albaisa isn’t certain the best way to divorce shoppers from their content. In line with Albaisa, automakers at the moment are competing with the Apple and Google related companies platforms, in addition to content material supply supplied by in-car infotainment software program. The need to create their very own interfaces is there, but it surely’s time to only settle for the reality. “We can’t compete,” Albaisa mentioned.

Apple, Google, and different platforms may give shoppers an expertise  automakers can’t, Albaisa admitted.

Apple augmented actuality windshield patent picture

Apple investigated an augmented actuality windshield earlier than canceling its electrical automotive venture. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, launched its “Window To The World” idea in 2011, which seemingly previewed the long run Albaisa paints. Mercedes-Benz’s CLA-Class idea and the Volkswagen ID.GTI Idea featured windshields with augmented actuality embedded into the glass in 2023. 

With present expertise, we’re in a second in between, when the display continues to be a needed evil. Albaisa predicts it will likely be a couple of decade earlier than screens can disappear from the dashboard and all the pieces is simply lamented into the windshield. 

One problem is brightness, in response to Albaisa. An trade insider who wished to stay nameless as a consequence of involvement with automakers informed MA that the 2 largest hurdles at the moment are value effectivity and security. “The windshield is a structural piece of at the moment’s autos, and an embedded show would want to cross any of at the moment’s crash and security requirements,” the individual mentioned. Albaisa famous some clear show expertise that might be constructed into windshields has already been proven at CES. 

“God bless them, (the tech) would possibly come out sooner,” Albaisa mentioned. He famous that designers and engineers are watching the expertise evolve carefully as screens are “a bit cumbersome, they appear simple although, however nobody actually likes them.” 

Alabaisa views screens as a wall between the automotive occupant, be it driver or passenger, and the surface. A clear windshield with tech built-in proper into the glass will remove that barrier.

The most important problem with at the moment’s screens is the best way to combine them. In line with Albaisa, that may now not be an issue within the not-too-distant future.