EVs are finally embracing physical buttons with Hyundai being the latest to admit to a touchscreen backlash
Date:
Wed, 13 Nov 2024 12:29:21 +0000
Description:
Hyundai Design North America Vice President, Ha Hak-soo, revealed that customers want a return to physical buttons and controls in cars.
FULL STORY
Hyundai is the latest manufacturer to go on record to say that it is reintroducing physical buttons to future vehicles, following customer
backlash surrounding fiddly and often distracting touchscreen systems.
Hyundai Design North America vice president, Ha Hak-soo, recently revealed in an interview with Koreas JoongAng Daily news website that the company had
been taken in by the wow factor of massive screens and had neglected the ease and convenience of physical buttons.
When we tested with our focus group, we realized that people get stressed, annoyed and steamed when they want to control something in a pinch but are unable to do so, Ha said.
The company joins a growing list of automotive manufacturers than have seen
fit to reintroduce physical controls for key functionality, with the likes of VW pulling a U-turn on its decision to go screen-only in early ID electric models following negative feedback from the press and general public.
VWs then-CEO Thomas Schfer said that the reliance on touchscreens "did a lot
of damage" to the brand and it subsequently revised the infotainment offering during mid-life refreshes of the numerous models in the ID range to include proper, back-lit physical buttons for climate control, window de-misters and hazard lights.
Whats more, Europes premier passenger car safety body, Euro NCAP, said
earlier this year that it would incentivize OEMs to have physical,
easy-to-use, and tactile controls of the main driving features like wipers, warning lights, and indicators, its Technical Director, Richard Schram told Auto Express .
Although very few automakers will admit it, the trend for committing
absolutely everything to a large touchscreen display is partly down to Tesla and its innovative use of tablet-style infotainment systems.
Before this, legacy brands had merely toyed with screens that were neatly embedded into the dash or centre console, often operated via a rotary dial
and other switches.
Rewind to 2009, with the debut of the Tesla Model S, and Mercedes-Benz still had a physical numerical keypad for inputting phone numbers. Now, Tesla has taken things further by removing indicator stalks and other automotive mainstays.
Things have changed and in-car screens are most certainly here to stay, with Hyundai even revealing recently that it had partnered with German optical specialist Zeiss to work on a head-up display that spans the entire
windshield .
But committing everything to a display and its numerous sub-menus is, on the surface level, frustrating and often downright dangerous. Having to hunt for
a slider to adjust the temperature in the cabin is a chore, while asking a clunky AI-powered voice assistant to defrost the rear window is more hassle than simply pressing an easy-to-locate button.
Until we get to the point where highly autonomous vehicles do most of the driving, we still need physical switches and buttons to make life behind the wheel more convenient and safer.
After all, theres a reason why an aeroplane cockpit looks the way it does and isnt just a giant touchscreen computer.
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/tech/evs-are-finally-embracing-physical-buttons-with -hyundai-being-the-latest-to-admit-to-a-touchscreen-backlash
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