Trends in smart automotive interiors

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Collect the Automotive Driving Automation Classification (GB/T 40429-2021)

The application of new materials in automotive interior design is in line with today's general trend of environmental protection and energy saving " to reduce burdens". A variety of new materials came into being. Recently, I know that there is a hot question and answer: what new materials will be used in the future development trend of automotive interior materials?

Innovation and application of automotive interior materials under the background of double carbon

With the development of the automobile industry and the improvement of people's living standards. Cars have become a mass consumer product and are gradually entering ordinary homes. It has become the third living space integrating driving travel, work, leisure, entertainment and fashion.

Economic development and social progress have promoted the consumption upgrade of products. People's requirements for cars also go far beyond the level of mobility tools. Its comfortable, safe, healthy and environmentally friendly higher perceived quality interior space has become a new consumer demand.

At the same time, under the "double carbon" goal, more and more raw materials and auto parts companies have begun to adopt new technologies, new materials, new processes to help the automotive industry achieve low-carbon development, in the field of automotive interiors, low-carbon environmental protection has become one of the important development trends.

Lightweight biomaterials, composites, recycled plastics

After years of rapid growth, the mainland automobile industry is entering a new era of industrial transformation and technological upgrading. Driven by the dual carbon target and the automotive industry policy, automotive materials are also ushering in new development opportunities. The traditional steel-based automotive material structure is developing towards plastics, biomaterials, and composite materials. While helping the car to be low-carbon, it also effectively reduces the weight of the body.

Biomaterials are new materials that are made through biological, chemical, physical and other methods to be applied to automobiles. It is applied to the preparation of automotive interiors, and in the realization of automotive interiors, it can not only reduce the quality of the car body, but also be environmentally friendly.

The Volkswagen ID Roomzz concept seat is covered in Apple Skin leather and made from renewable raw materials. It contains residues from apple juice production, grinds dried apple fertilizer into a powder, and mixes it with polyurethane PU, a key material for lightweighting automotive materials.

As its models, we are also actively promoting the innovative design of the interior in the application of new materials. The twill weave of the floor mats of the Skoda VISION RS uses a high-performance Pinex material that extracts fibers from the leaves of the pineapple tree.

As a kind of organic composite material, plant fibers can produce sustainable and lightweight body parts. This biological component improves the ecological impact of industrial-grade high-performance composites in manufacturing, use and treatment, and also reduces the weight of the vehicle. For example, the doors and meters in BMWi3 are made of biocomposites that combine red linen factory natural fibers and polypropylene, which can reduce weight by 20%-50%.

Tencel is also an ideal fiber for the automotive industry, and its raw materials from natural renewable trees determine its completely environmentally friendly properties. One of the range Rover Evoque's decorative options is the Tencel, an interior that presents plant textiles made of wood fibres.

In addition, automakers have also innovated the use of vegetable oils such as soybean oil, castor oil, palm oil and other vegetable oils as raw materials to develop corresponding vegetable oil polyols to replace the polyether polyols of the petrochemical route and apply them to the design of automotive interiors. For example, Japan's Toyota has developed castor oil-based PU foam seat cushions.

Reused plastics are also an important way to achieve lightweight and low-carbon vehicles. For example, the Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid version of the SUV uses discarded old bottles and mesh fibers, the SEAT textile PET uses recycled plastic bottles, and the carpet uses PET plastic bottle fibers and clothing waste cotton.

Intelligent intelligent surface, sense of technology, interactive experience

Smart surface is the direction of future automotive interior development, it through a certain medium material to increase the electronic function of the product structure, the traditional car interior switch will gradually be eliminated, this control material is hidden when not needed, when needed through proximity, gestures or voice control and other forms to activate, get feedback and response. In terms of information display, the smart surface can also seamlessly integrate all the functions in the car into a unified surface to achieve seamless connection.

As a form of interaction, smart surfaces are decorated through IMD (IML, IMF, IMR), embedded sensors, and other processes. Its display forms are diverse, such as textiles, leather, wood, metal, natural fiber composites, nano, biomimetic technology, bioplastics, 3D touch screens and other forms. At present, the derived materials include optical thin films, in-mold electronic technology and OLED and other new intelligent materials. These materials are complemented by electronic components such as sensors and can be integrated with various control functions.

For example, the Audi e-tron's virtual rearview mirror and imaging display design. The virtual rearview mirror uses a "side view" camera to replace the traditional side view mirror, and the Samsung OLED display is used for imaging the virtual rearview mirror. The display is located between the A-pillar in the car and the corresponding front door, and the driver can view the road conditions on the rear side in real time through the display, showing that there is no delay.

In the future, every surface in the car can be a smart surface. Just do it above the surfaces covered in the car, and an interactive interface or dynamic mood light will appear, these surfaces can interact with the user, according to your needs to appear where you need, and there are many forms of expression. For example, the intelligent surface design of the steering wheel can trigger functions such as turn signals, automotive entertainment systems, and car gears through touch and gestures.

In the door trim and handlebar position, the rearview mirrors, influence entertainment, seat adjustment, etc. are integrated through touch technology.

Smart surface technology provides new capabilities for static surfaces, integrating digital instrumentation, infotainment systems, virtual assistants, cloud interactions, and more, enabling every surface inside the future car to be activated and controlled by new functions, making the car smarter and more technological.

At present, with the advancement of new materials, smart surface technology is accelerating development, and the interior of future vehicles will be covered by large smart surfaces that combine visual beauty and functionality. In the overall design, there will be a more sense of technology and design, so as to achieve better interaction.

Softness, comfort, texture, emotional experience

The application of soft, green interior surfaces and materials in automotive interiors is in line with the current trend of environmental protection and low carbon, recycled carbon fiber, silk, wool, etc. will gradually replace leather, plastics and other industrial materials, which will provide another solution for the realization of low-carbon goals while helping to improve the comfort of riding.

Alcantara is an innovative composite material that is not only soft in texture, but also superior in its functional properties such as wear resistance and durability, and is also an ideal material considered "carbon neutral". This material is widely used in automotive interiors, and the parts that are in direct contact with the driver are wrapped in Alcantara materials, such as seats and steering wheels, providing the driver with a better driving experience through the friction of the material itself.

The future of the car is no longer limited to the simple means of transport, its functions will be diversified development, the car will become in addition to home and another important living space, the design of the interior space of the vehicle is not only for the design of the physical space, but also a creative process of emotional experience, people's sense of comfort in the riding process is not only derived from the simple displacement and physiological satisfaction, but also includes the spiritual comfort, happiness, efficiency and convenience of the ride process. This allows the vehicle interior to be transformed into a customizable second living space for an emotional design. The cockpit of the car is made of wood, leather and suede, and the LED ambient lighting adds texture and ambience to the interior.

In terms of improving user comfort and creating user emotional experience, translucent skin materials will play a key role in the future. The most straightforward application today is to combine light with light to integrate translucent skin materials into the interior surface. Translucent materials enable the use of different light types to create new bright designs that look not only at the material itself but also at its surroundings. As a result, new effects can be designed by combining different colors, structures and textures. In addition, colors and light intensities can achieve different effects to cater to specific moods. The interior environment can therefore be adapted to specific circumstances or driving conditions.

Therefore, in the interior part of the car, due to the need to improve the tranquility of the vehicle's internal space and alleviate the sense of oppression, such a transparent surface has also become a trend in the future interior development.

Under the background of "double carbon", with the advancement of new materials, on the one hand, the future automotive interior will develop in the direction of lightweight, intelligent and comfortable, and environmentally friendly renewable materials will eventually replace metal and glass, becoming materials that take into account both function and aesthetics. On the other hand, the popular application of new materials makes the freedom in design more flexible, which is conducive to designers to give full play to their imagination and design more high-tech and aesthetic works, thereby improving the dual experience of internal perception and their own emotions.

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