Now that Apple has shown us how it's done with the iPod Touch and the iPhone, we need an LCD Touch screen up front that takes care of all auxilliary controls. Radio (HD, XM/Sirius), climate controls, outside temp, compass, etc, all need to consolidated on one easy to reach touch screen, interior lights, with no knobs on the dash. External lights should be automatic with light (like my monte carlo) and rain sensors.
I'm a big gadget fan, so besides the chance to drive an electric vehicle, I'd love to have the controls look like nothing else we've seen in today's cars.
When reaching for a control with tactile feedback, I find myself glancing momentarily at the control as I reach for it. Does anyone else do this? Just curious!I definately do not want a touch display, I want something with tactile feedback so that I can feel that I am hitting a button, or turning a dial, that way you don't have to look at what your hand is doing instead of looking at the road.
Sure do, but I used to actively WATCH my daughter's Prius screen. Even when I was driving.When reaching for a control with tactile feedback, I find myself glancing momentarily at the control as I reach for it. Does anyone else do this? Just curious!
It's information ranging from your CURRENT mpg to heater/AC info or (on the higher end models) navigation info. It's not "movie" type entertainment, but the info (especially mileage) IS entertaining and engaging.Tagamet, what is on that Prius screen -- information or entertainment? If it is entertainment, then I would think that screen should not be visable from the drivers seat.
I agree wit 90% of the above, especially for Volt V 1.0, but the Prius info that provided immediate feedback as to the effects of the manner in which you are driving were having on your mileage actually WAS helpful in teaching me to drive "well". If there is a simple way to get feedback when in All Electric Range as to how many miles per Khr I'm getting that'd be helpful (to me). For now, however, KISS.Touch screen is fine for setting the presets or fine tuning of a system, but basic controls need to be analog knobs, switches and levers. I believe it's critical to reduce the amount of heads down time in the cockpit. I found in the week I had gotten a Prius as a loaner car, the touch screen to be annoying. It also had an awful lot of silly useless information being displayed that does distract the new driver. I'm sure long term drivers learn to tune it out or never go to those screens.
Please, no tech just for tech's sake. Only include new digital features if it actually makes driving safer or easier.
I'm OK with the use of LCDs for driver information, just let's hope they can make them not so ugly. A big ol' flat rectangle on the dash is pretty darn lame looking. Also I hope they don't put all the eggs in one basket, meaning that multiple smaller, cheaper displays so that when one takes a dive, it's not a huge expensive repair and doesn't take the car off line. So far, I'm not super impressed with the large displays in aircraft with regards to reliability. There have been a lot of failures with expensive down time for brand new systems that were supposed to be 10x more reliable than the old "steam gauges" they replaced.I am also a firm believer in a "glass cockpit" where all of the dials like speedometer, temperature, oil temp, etc. are displayed on a flat screen instead of "real" dials and lights, etc. Every data item you could ever want to know about you car could be displayed on two 6x10 lcd screens (non-touch). This would make every thing less complex because all of that information has to go to the CPU anyway. Changing back to a analog signal afterward is just a waste, and increases complexity. Airplanes do it, there is no reason for the Volt (or any car for that mater) not to. I am also a big proponent of making these customizable, but that is for a different thread.