are going beyond making cars safer and more environmentally friendly. New technology is going into all aspects of car design from cars that will compose music for you to a touch screen user interface on the dashboard.
This is the case with the Nissan Ariya, which has an interface completely different than other vehicles on the market.
, the Nissan Ariya will feature a button-free user interface. Instead of buttons, the Ariya will use haptic feedback to alert users on the options they are selecting.
The Nissan Ariya's interface
Traditionally, the heating and cooling systems in vehicles have been controlled with buttons and dials. However, the world is moving away from buttons. Consider modern smartphones and how many of them have moved away from having any button on the front display.
With this in mind, the Nissan Ariya's display is meant to be stylish and modern. All the heating and cooling options are part of the same touch display, which appears by lighting up when the vehicle is started.
A benefit to physical buttons is that they respond to presses with clicks and other noticeable feedback. A touch display does not have this, so Nissan has worked to give the touch interface haptic feedback. While it is not certain how this will work yet, icons on the display will likely vibrate or pulse when they are pressed.
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A button-free display makes the Nissan Ariya stand out from competitors, but it may be more of a novelty than an innovation. In other devices, touch displays can be convenient. They can be very inconvenient in a car, though.
A benefit to buttons is that drivers can become familiar with their placements. This can mean that a driver can adjust the heating and cooling without taking their eyes on the road. Without physical buttons, this may not be the case.
Drivers may become familiar with the different locations within the touch display, but touch displays are much harder to use.
Without looking at the user interface while using it, drivers are much more likely to press incorrect options. Haptic feedback can tell a driver when they press an icon, but this may not necessarily help them find the right icon.
The Nissan Ariya's disappearing user interface might be more of a gimmick than innovation, but the vehicle itself is worth noting on its own. The Ariya is an electric SUV that offers range and power.
There are currently two models of the Ariya planned, one with a 63.0-kWh battery and one with a more powerful 87.0-kWh battery. With the more powerful battery, the Ariya has an expected range of 300 miles per charge.
The Ariya is expected to get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds, which is comparable to other electric SUVs.
New technology can make cars safer and more convenient. The Nissan Ariya's button-free disappearing user interface is unlike anything ever seen before, but it may not be the game-changer it seeks to be. As for the vehicle overall, though, the Ariya could be a worthy competitor in the electric SUV market.
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