- Hyundai developing holographic windshield display with Germany’s Zeiss
- Technology enables augmented reality displays to span width of windshield
- Production planned to start in 2027
In the not too distant future, head-up displays will be able to present a whole lot more than the tiny window of static information we’re used to today.
Hyundai is one of a growing number of automakers that plans to use the entire width of the windshield to display information, and announced on Oct. 13 a partnership with German optical company Zeiss to help develop the technology.
The key is holographic augmented reality technology, which could enable numerous possibilities, from showing you which turns to take on your selected route, the perfect racing line during track days, or highlighting potential dangers ahead—all without you having to take your eyes off the road.
The augmented reality aspect means the visuals are dynamic, meaning they can track moving objects, like a pedestrian, cyclist, or animal entering the road. A feed of traffic and weather information could also be displayed, using a cloud connection or other types of vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.
There could also be a section for a front passenger, for displaying media content, a video call, or information about the current location, like listing nearby restaurants or tourist attractions.
Hyundai said the technology may be introduced as soon as 2027, and that the introduction could end up changing the way vehicle cabins are designed. Since the traditional gauge cluster could be removed, the top of the dash could be mounted much lower, leaving more open space for a windshield.
The technology relies on a transparent film with a thickness less than a human hair being applied to the windshield. The film is then able to recreate images and video using light signals sent from LED-based projectors.
Ford displayed a prototype of a similar system in September, which the automaker is developing with a company called Ceres Holographics.
BMW previewed its own system last year in the i Vision Dee concept car and confirmed some form of the technology will make its way into next-generation electric vehicles referred to internally as the Neue Klasse family. The first Neue Klasse EV will be a compact crossover arriving in 2025.
Nissan’s design chief, Alfonso Albaisa, told Motor Authority in an interview earlier this year that screens in the dash will eventually be replaced by windshields capable of displaying all of the same information. And patents from General Motors also surfaced earlier this year showing a system that could potentially display information on all parts of the screen.
