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

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

The unhealthy information is the chief mentioned finally the “windshield shall be your display.” 

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

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

Sooner or later the complete windshield shall be your display, in keeping with 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 be capable to see by way of the windshield, and everybody will nonetheless be capable to devour their content material.

Whereas customers may declare they need to revert to analog components, the fact is Albaisa isn’t certain how you can divorce customers from their content. In response to Albaisa, automakers are actually competing with the Apple and Google linked providers platforms, in addition to content material supply offered by in-car infotainment software program. The will 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 can provide customers 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 undertaking. Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, launched its “Window To The World” idea in 2011, which seemingly previewed the longer term 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 mandatory evil. Albaisa predicts will probably be a few decade earlier than screens can disappear from the dashboard and all the things is simply lamented into the windshield. 

One problem is brightness, in keeping with Albaisa. An business insider who wished to stay nameless because of involvement with automakers instructed MA that the 2 largest hurdles right this moment are price effectivity and security. “The windshield is a structural piece of right this moment’s autos, and an embedded show would wish to move any of right this moment’s crash and security requirements,” the particular person mentioned. Albaisa famous some clear show expertise that might be constructed into windshields has already been proven at CES. 

“God bless them, (the tech) may come out sooner,” Albaisa mentioned. He famous that designers and engineers are watching the expertise evolve intently 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 skin. A clear windshield with tech built-in proper into the glass will eradicate that barrier.

The biggest problem with right this moment’s screens is how you can combine them. In response to Albaisa, that can now not be an issue within the not-too-distant future.