Looking at the development of the automobile industry today, you can almost see the "only way" for the future industry. There is no doubt that new energy, intelligent connectivity, autonomous driving, etc. are the core of the future development of the automobile industry. Behind these concepts, we can see that the biggest change is to "rescue" people from simple driving and riding, and to allow people to move from A During my time at B, I was more casual and could do more things I wanted to do.

This is also what we are going to talk about this time, "the living room in the car". When it comes to turning a car into a living room, the first thing that many people think of is surely the all-purpose travel RV. But in fact, the travel car is a coexistence of pros and cons. It is a combination of freedom and freedom, but it is difficult to park in a large vehicle, has many license restrictions, and the driving process also tests the driver's skills. The core of the living room on the car is actually to gradually liberate the single attribute of the car as a transportation tool, and realize the process of freely allocating time on the car and vehicle functionality during commuting travel, and even some functional attributes other than being a transportation tool. To put it simply, it is to integrate the commuting function with life in a deeper way.

So what are the current concepts of "living room on the car" for new energy vehicles? ? Simply speaking, it can be divided into four to five directions.

The first is the upgrade of materials and functional configurations in the car. Its core purpose is to improve For the sensory comfort of the driver and passengers, for example, the fabrics on the seat ceiling and other parts are no longer pure leather fabrics, and the center console door panels are no longer exclusively made of slush molding or foam. More and more brands are beginning to introduce clean, environmentally friendly recycled materials or agricultural composite materials that are skin-friendly and not prone to allergies. Not only are there no odors in the car, but the look, feel, and texture are also more comfortable.

The next step is the functional experience inside and outside the car, such as the extension of entertainment functions in daily life, more and more screens, Projections, holographic images, AR, VR and other elements have begun to appear in cars. In the past, when we were in the car, we could only spend time through radio or bringing our own mobile phones and tablets. Now every member except the driver can gain new experiences in a similar way. Of course, for drivers, the gradual application of large screens, HUD, AR and other technologies has also made driving information richer and more diverse. As long as you look ahead, the main and secondary information can basically be displayed in front of you step by step. Of course, in addition to the functions inside the car, designs such as the external discharge function also make new energy vehicles a considerate energy replenishment station for outdoor outings or emergencies.

Then there is assisted driving. From L0 to L5, we are all familiar with the specifications and directions of assisted driving technology. The fixed-speed cruise allows us to free our right foot at high speeds, and the full-speed adaptive cruise makes long-distance high-speed driving easier. Soon after higher-level assisted driving becomes popular in accordance with the law, the vehicle can plan a route according to our target location and assist in the entire driving process. In the further future, autonomous driving and even driverless driving will completely liberate our hands and feet, and driving will eventually evolve into an experience of pure pleasure.

The last is the release of space and functions. Currently, with the development of ACC technology, NOA and NOP Such driving assistance technologies have begun to become popular, and our driving has begun to become easier, even more flexible and safer. When autonomous driving fully arrives, the driving factor will be minimized and we can focus more on the cockpit. The flexible seat layout makes the car no longer arranged in rows, but can be The shape of the living room can also be a bar, or even a flat bed, etc. People can also use the "transition" time more rationally to accomplish more things.

So for the concept of "car living room", we can roughly start from the concept cars that illustrate the development trend and the ones that are already within our reach. Looking at production cars.

BMW:

For Many brands have made different interpretations of the prospects for future technology. I personally think that the most comprehensive explanation is the i-series Inside Future concept car released by BMW in 2017. In this car, the vehicle's seats are equipped with independent rotation and audio units, which can be shared among members without interfering with each other. There is also a projection control interface for the whole system in the car, which is full of futuristic operation. In addition, according to the preferences of the occupants, they can also choose a variety of different scene settings such as "relaxation mode" and "acceleration mode", and the functions from driving to use in the car will be changed accordingly. In other words, when you need to experience driving, it is a car that focuses on driving quality, and when you need to relax, it can be turned into a comfortable and enjoyable "bedroom" on demand.

Audi:

Not long ago The released Audi skysphere concept car gave the direction. In the past, we always thought that the appearance of the vehicle was fixed. Even if it is a platform model, we still have to follow thisidea. The Audi skysphere concept car can use a telescopic structure to adjust the length of the wheelbase according to different modes to achieve the optimal solution between the interior space and the driving experience.

Public:

ID. BUZZ is an MPV model that Volkswagen has previously released as a concept car. Its shape pays tribute to the classic T series. The MEB platform also gives it more abundant and freely arranged interior space. But this is not the point. As early as when the concept car was just released, ID. BUZZ attracted the attention of many viewers with its flexible interior space layout. Unlike many MPVs, the production version of ID. BUZZ may become Volkswagen's first model to achieve L4 autonomous driving. On the concept car, its front seats can rotate 360 ​​degrees. In other words, when the autonomous driving function is turned on, it becomes a mobile conference room, and the space in the car can be defined with a high degree of freedom.

As for driving, the driver only needs to press the Volkswagen LOGO on the steering wheel to switch. In autonomous driving mode, the electric retractable steering wheel will automatically retract into the space under the instrument panel. The vehicle analyzes the surrounding environment in real time through sensors such as lidar, millimeter wave radar, eye-catching cameras, and ultrasonic radar to achieve autonomous driving.

NIO:

Don't look at NIO's mass-produced cars running all over the streets today, but in fact, in the early days of NIO's establishment, there was another very interesting model besides the EP9, which was the NIO EVE concept car that provided a direction for subsequent mass-produced models. . The EVE concept car was originally designed to be the owner's second living room and is positioned as a pure electric concept car with driverless technology. The sharp exterior design and lighting use are not the biggest highlights of the car. The core is its interior and powertrain. Although it is a concept car, the interior style of Weilai EVE is relatively warm, and the car adopts a rare 2+1+2 five-seater layout. What's interesting is that each seat has extremely high mobility. For example, if you adjust the seat to one side, you can get a wide walking channel with other seats, and it is also more conducive to forming a diverse seating layout. In addition, EVE also has a panoramic cockpit design. The intelligent interaction system is highly integrated with a holographic screen, which can achieve scene integration between the car and the environment, and people and the environment. NOMI's artificial intelligence companion can also learn the user's habits and interests and perform personalized control in the car according to different usage scenarios.

DisplayHowever, we have already seen some of the above functional configurations in Weilai’s mass-produced cars, such as NOMI, queen seats, environmentally friendly interior materials, etc. At the recent NIO DAY, Weilai released a new AR/VR glasses technology. Simply put, the addition of AR glasses frees the driver from the constraints of traditional HUD, allowing for more intelligent information display and intelligent Field of view focusing also allows drivers to reduce discomfort and dizziness during use. Both the vehicle and the driver are the beneficiaries. VR eyes are even more interesting. Passengers can load and upload real-time scenes to the cloud and share them with distant friends. To a certain extent, it also echoes the original intention of the EVE concept car to integrate the car and the environment, as well as people and the environment.

Huawei:

Although we have not seen many forward-looking technological configurations on the AITO M5, it is currently intensively developing intelligent cockpit systems. At present, Huawei has deeply customized products such as car machines equipped with Hongmeng system, seats with sound systems, holographic image control systems, projection systems that can be used as screens as long as they are flat, etc. The core of these functions are also built based on Huawei’s theory of the Internet of Everything. In other words, in future mass-produced models, you can see a Huawei car with the autonomous driving function on, and the passengers in the car face each other or use holographic projection images in a certain part. Even to exaggerate, you can control and adjust some functions of the vehicle by taking out a tablet, mobile phone or even a smart watch. Driving is no longer the focus, the person sitting in the smart cockpit is more like sitting in his mobile living room.

Skateboard chassis:

When it comes to skateboard chassis, we can no longer use brands to summarize it, because while China is vigorously developing new energy vehicles, overseas countries have not slowed down, but the overall thinking is slightly different. Overseas new brands such as RIVIAN, Lucid, and Arrival have not slowed down. When building cars, powerful brands have always emphasized the concept of separation of body and chassis, which is equivalent to completely separating the cockpit design and power unit. All different cockpits can use one chassis. A chassis like a skateboard is integrated with wire controls, Technologies such as dense battery layout and miniaturized motors were finally realized.

And personalized car building is no longer difficult, it has completely become a software to dominate the hardware. Car building is no longer obsessed with the body shape. After the space is flattened and the cabin is modularized, the passenger compartment is no longer restricted and affected by the chassis, and the space can be maximized. In addition to some traditional layouts, such as MPVs, SUVs, and even pickup trucksThe seats can be flexibly laid out and customized, and it feels like the private customization of many high-end MPV interiors. Of course, there are companies like Yopao UP working on similar solutions in China, but at the moment they are just concepts, and we have to wait and see how the actual mass-produced cars will turn out.

Xiaopeng:

Xpeng's NGP assisted driving function has always been well received, and it is also a relatively leading brand among domestic assisted driving functions. But the most eye-catching thing last year was the in-car scene mode provided by Xpeng P5. Although the Xpeng P5 is a compact car, it has been deeply customized for the seats and many interior configurations. It also provides five scene functions: X-Play entertainment scene, X-Sleep sleep scene, X-Go outdoor scene, X-Life life scene, and X-DIY. To put it simply, the Xpeng P5 is still a standard new energy vehicle when driving, but when stopped, it can be a living room with a completely different style. For example, in the entertainment mode, the projector, screen and blackout cloth in the accessory bag can be used to form an entertainment space in the car. The seats, air conditioning and fragrance system will also be automatically adjusted to the appropriate state. I believe many people have dreamed of watching a movie or playing games in the car. For example, in sleep mode, the seat will be completely flattened and the air-conditioning fragrance will also enter the logic that is most suitable for sleeping. Wouldn't it be nice to take a nap with the blackout cloth inflatable bed kit? For office workers who need a lunch break and those who like wild camping trips Perfect for home. As for other scenarios, they are more responsive to different car needs. For example, in outdoor scenarios, the high-power external discharge function is used to power electrical appliances, audio, and induction cookers at the same time, and a few friends can be invited to hold parties and BBQs at any time.

In fact, looking at the concept cars and production cars above, it is not difficult to find that the The concept of the living room has actually been developing. Previously, limited by technology and cost, most of the focus of car manufacturing was on driving and sitting in it. However, with the popularization of new energy, technological configuration and lifestyle have begun to return to the focus of attention. . Driven by technology and demand, the concept of car living rooms is also valued by more and more manufacturers. I believe that when there are new breakthroughs in motor electronically controlled battery-assisted driving technology, the concept of car living rooms will also become The new trend of future automobile development.