With electronic ink, future decorations can be customized

Continental used CES to unveil their “emotional cockpit,” hinting at the future of automotive interior design. While it incorporates a few developments, one of the coolest is the E Ink Prism display that spans the entire width of the dashboard.

While e-ink displays are usually limited to e-readers, Continental’s concept features a screen that’s 4.2 feet (1.3 meters) long and 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) high. It effectively replaces traditional dashboard trim with a full-width display.

More information: Projection system from Continental turns side windows into high-tech displays

While pillar-to-pillar displays are nothing new, the focus of this screen is on design and personalization. Customers can therefore choose from a variety of designs to reflect their personal tastes and preferences.

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As with most e-readers, the display is limited to black and gray. Continental says this results in “a strikingly minimalist aesthetic in a rich and colorful world.” However, in the future, color e-ink displays are possible.

While e-ink has its limitations, it also has significant advantages—especially for use in electric vehicles. As the company explains, they only consume power “for the brief period when switching from one image to the next.” This means that even when the car is parked or turned off, the content on the screen remains visible. Continental also notes that they “reflect light like real paper,” which “means they don’t need to be illuminated by a light source placed behind the screen like traditional monitors.”

The idea is interesting and expected to appeal to younger consumers. As Continental’s Pavel Prouza explains, “Generation Z, for example, represents a new generation of customers who want to express their individuality and show off their personality, especially through digital media. With us With the application of ’emotional cockpit’ and energy-saving e-reader technology, we are offering innovative options to personalize vehicle cockpits according to new customer expectations.”

Continental isn’t just limiting e-ink displays to the interior of the car, as their Vehicle Experience demo car had an external screen mounted on the B-pillar. It can display important information such as the electric vehicle’s current charge level.