Touch Panels for a Growing Electric Vehicle (EV) Market

January 29, 2021

Story

In recent years, governments of leading countries have fostered stringent exhaust norms resulting in the growing demand for electric vehicles worldwide. Also, governments are pushing EV sales by providing incentives and subsidies. According to the latest ResearchAndMarkets.com's record, the international vehicle wise display market is projected to expand from USD $7.2 billion in 2020 to USD 10.9 billion by 2025. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the EV market, yet it shows a strong growth trend. The demand for improved consumer experience in vehicles, and high growth in luxury and high-end electric car segments, boosted the need for semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles.

Electric vehicles are still referred to as premium vehicles equipped with high-end features such as interactive infotainment systems and larger-sized touch screen panels. Electric cars tend to have a more significant number of sophisticated electronic systems. Durable and reliable liquid crystal display (LCD) panels are available in various screen sizes and resolutions. It is the most popular display in vehicle automation that is mainly used for navigation, control, and entertainment systems. Relying on the auto display application function and the series of temperature, producers utilize a combination of LCD and TFT in display applications. Standard LCD panels usually come either monochrome or shade that produce colored images. The electric vehicles typically feature an advanced LCD panel with a multi-touch screen. Usually, there will be more than one touch panel in the electric car – you can find it in a center stack, digital dash, a head-up display, and rear-seat entertainment.

Applications interactive touch panels in the EV market

• Center Stack － The center console is a surface located in the center of the front vehicle interior. Center stacks of modern cars are equipped with interactive touch panels, and the EV is not an exception. Each generation of tech-savvy consumers demands larger-sized touch panels and a more responsive interface.

• Digital Instrument Cluster－Digital dash at the automotive cockpit displays the screen's full electronics information, including the speedometer. The trend for larger digital instrument cluster screens is growing. Even those may not require touch function; modern car owners would appreciate the touch function for added operability and ease of use.

• Head-up Display (HUD) － It is a transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints; it reduces dangerous distractions by displaying the car's speed, navigation directions, and other critical information and alerts.

• Rear Seat Entertainment　－ Modern cars provide a comfort level not only to drivers but also for passages. Rear seat entertainment allows passengers in the second or third row to listen to music, watch movies and videos, and play games while on the road. It also requires a touch panel interface.

• EV Charging Stations － The growing number of EV charging stations worldwide requires modern control touch panels with an intuitive interface to allow the customers to recharge their vehicles without any hassles.

Due to technological advancement, touch displays used in these cars should provide comfort and convenience. Soon, vehicles will feature more automotive smart displays of a larger size, providing advanced driver assistance on a single touchscreen platform. Stylish touch panels in EV applications play an essential role in making driver assistance functions available at a single-touchscreen platform.

The display sizes for EV applications vary by application purpose and typically are as follows:

• Small-sized LCD 3–5": You can find compact smart displays in smart rearview mirrors, small digital instrument clusters, and center stack displays. These applications typically do not require a touch function.
• Medium-sized LCD 6–10": The medium-sized displays are used for applications, such as center stack touchscreen displays, advanced instrument clusters, and rear-seat entertainment touchscreen units.
• Large-sized LCD more than 10": Larger-sized displays with touch can be found mainly in premium, semi-autonomous and autonomous electric vehicles. The growing demand for electric vehicles will stimulate the need for larger than 10" touch screen displays that are used for car climate control, suspension settings, and other driver-controlled functions.