Autonomous driving: Revolutionising the driving experience

Autonomous driving: Revolutionising the driving experience

Berlin, 2.12.2019

Stubbornly behind the wheel? Two, four, six hours of full attention. Three hours in a traffic jam? Endless queues of trucks and construction sites grinding the nerves? The alternative: travel by train? Seldom punctual, constant crowds, restaurant overcrowded. No, there is only one real alternative: the autonomous car.

What used to be presented under the label „autonomous car“ hardly differed at all from the combustion engine models. The interior equipment was always the same: a driver’s seat, the driver’s steering wheel and the brakes. Everything was grouped around the driver. But in an autonomous vehicle, the driver is superfluous. This opens up enormous opportunities for a completely different interior design. The first ideas are already being developed. Here is a selection:

The aim is to revolutionize the driving experience in the car. Fast and ubiquitous 5G connectivity can seamlessly deliver information to and from the vehicle. This can include rankings of restaurants in the area and local attractions. The regional real estate market is also available, including the most attractive offers. Advertisements can be tailored to personal interests so that passengers can make decisions and purchases easily and uncomplicatedly.

The autonomous vehicle cabin can also be converted into a mobile living room. The vehicle window, windscreen and roof act as displays. The augmented reality projection can show interactive games or the local history of an area the passenger is travelling through. Passengers can track incoming weather data, traffic conditions and other journey information, which is updated in real time. The data can be projected onto a head-up display or into an augmented reality timetable, offering a variety of ways to visualize and learn about the journey.

Interesting is the idea of reconfigurable seats. Depending on whether the vehicle owner travels alone, in pairs or with selected guests – the seating options can be easily adapted to the respective purpose. The cabin can then quickly be transformed into a mini-disco – the sound insulation can also be installed as required. This is also practical when the interior is transformed into a sleeping car for a longer journey.