The Evolution of Automotive HMI

In the first several decades of the automobile in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was no consensus about exactly how those newfangled machines should be controlled. Should they have a boat-style tiller or a steering wheel? Should the brake pedal be on the right, on the left, or operated by a hand lever? Eventually the concepts coalesced into a relatively consistent arrangement of a steering wheel with a gauge cluster behind it, and accelerator, brake, and clutch pedals arranged from right to left. But as we enter the age of software-defined, electrified, and automated vehicles, it’s all up for grabs again. The recent 2023 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, showed us some of the latest ideas.

HMI on Display at CES

It’s now 16 years since automakers first started to have a presence at what was then known as the Consumer Electronics Show. In 2007, Ford’s then president of its Americas division, Mark Fields, took the stage with Microsoft founder Bill Gates to announce SYNC, the company’s new device connectivity system. The automotive industry has been a player at CES ever since, and human machine interface (HMI) has been a key aspect of what is showcased.

In 2018, Chinese startup Byton showed off a concept called the M-Byte that featured a 48-inch display spanning the entire width of the dashboard. It was further away from the driver than a typical touchscreen and closer to the line of sight while driving. Its size allowed the display of more information, such as a larger map during navigation that didn’t require the driver to zoom in and out. While Byton went under in 2021, the idea lives on and is in production in the Chinese-market Ford Mondeo and Lincoln Zephyr. During this year’s CES, the JV Sony Honda Mobility showed its AFEELA electric sedan concept with a similar display that also includes the display for the camera-based side-view mirror system.

When Tesla launched the Model 3 in 2017, it featured a very spartan interior with a dashboard that had no buttons or switches or even visible vents, just a 15-inch touchscreen in the center. But displays are increasingly moving from physical to virtual as head-up displays (HUDs) become more common and capable. This year, BMW showed off the i Vision Dee with a full-width HUD, and supplier Marelli showed off an interior model with similar technology. BMW announced its intention to launch the technology on its 2025 Neue Klasse production EV.

The BMW concept takes minimalism to a new extreme, with no physical controls except the wheel and pedals. When the driver’s finger approaches the dashboard, a “mixed-reality slider” lights up from beneath the surface, allowing the driver to slide along the surface to select the amount of information to be displayed on the HUD—from minimal analog gauges to a full virtual reality (VR) environment that blocks out the real world with a digital replacement. While the VR probably won’t be in the production model, augmented reality that overlays digital elements on the real world—such as pointing out where to turn or even highlighting vulnerable road users for added safety—almost certainly will.

The Ram Revolution electric truck also relies on a HUD in place of an instrument cluster but features two central touchscreens, one of which is removable for use as a tablet. The steering wheel in the Ram can be retracted into the dash when using the hands-off, eyes-off AutoDrive feature that Stellantis has announced for 2024 production. As designers struggle with how to enable personalization while providing a usable and safe HMI for vehicles with ever more features, they will no doubt continue to evolve our interface with the machine.