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submitted 1 week ago by otter@lemmy.ca to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[-] MisterMoo@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago

Now get rid of the touch screen entirely. Mark my words, the first electric car unveiled as a totally analog experience will be incredibly popular.

[-] leadore@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

It's been a long time since I looked but I hope most cars still have physical buttons/controls for all important functions! Besides being easier and faster to use, without them if a touchscreen malfunctions (hardware or software) everything is gone and you wouldn't be able to drive the car. Then there's the tracking and spying, and sometimes bugs and UI changes after updates--and now ads!?# Cars are becoming as enshittified like everything else now.

[-] Bristingr@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago

Are we gonna have to physically roll down our windows again?

[-] leadore@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

My car armrest has physical buttons (edit: I guess you'd call them "rocker switches") that I can push forward or backward to raise/lower the windows. It would be absolutely ridiculous to make me navigate a menu on a touchscreen to do that--please tell me newer cars aren't doing that?

[-] ileanallama@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

hoping the whole industry follows after, please subaru go back to the climate control buttons

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Too bad, i liked the way it was going… in my experience 80% of the buttons are unnecessary, provided of course that the automation is well thought out .

[-] wewbull@feddit.uk 5 points 6 days ago

That 20% though....you want that to be physical.

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 days ago

Btw, is that a tablet dock i see?

[-] meekah@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

The thing in the middle under the display? I'd assume its a scrolling wheel, kinda like on your mouse but very wide

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago

Nah, it was somewhat of a joke about the built-in but locked away infotainment systems.

[-] meekah@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

ahh well, guess that is my !wooosh@lemmy.world moment of the day

[-] tiramichu@lemm.ee 122 points 1 week ago

This may in part be motivated by new guidance from NCAP, which will from next year require that all new cars have physical controls to earn the highest safety ratings.

https://www.evo.co.uk/car-technology/207666/buttons-could-replace-touch-controls-in-cars-thanks-to-new-euro-ncap-tests

Whatever the motivation though, I'm glad for it. Getting rid of buttons was always a dumb idea and I'm happy to see pushback.

[-] Venator@lemmy.nz 1 points 5 days ago

I guess they forgot to add air conditioning and volume to the list of vital controls...

[-] RejZoR@lemmy.ml 43 points 1 week ago

It wasn't dumb from corporate perspective, which is why they all gobbled it up like junky hoovering on piles of white dust.

You know how expensive it is to mold unique dedicated physical buttons for every function and then wire them all over the place? Or just slap single touch display and cram all the shit into that single display. You code it once and use it on all models. Corporates were already counting the money saved there. Until it backfired because everyone hated it, reviewers criticized it and now it's finally also criticized by safety agencies.

[-] shaggyb@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

Cars cost way too much for me to care about this excuse.

[-] SeekPie@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago

Yeah, but what about the value that saving money created for the shareholders?

[-] shaggyb@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago
[-] Nightwish76@feddit.uk 3 points 6 days ago

Cars cost way too much for me to care about this excuse.

Not their problem

[-] Ulrich@feddit.org 11 points 1 week ago

You know how expensive it is to mold unique dedicated physical buttons for every function and then wire them all over the place?

Not expensive. You don't have to "wire them all over the place", you just put them on a PCB and connect them to the nearest CAN bus, or similar.

[-] T156@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

They'd basically already be doing that for the touch screen, and may well be using similar controls under the hood, where the physical buttons send a command to the computer to do a thing, in lieu of a mechanical connection.

[-] riodoro1@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

One more connector, one more cable in harness, more coding, more cad time, more manufacturing time and more testing.

If it comes out to 20 dollars per car and you multiply it by 50000 a year for a relatively popular model there is a nice bonus for the ceo. Oh, and the price to consumer increases at the same time.

[-] Ulrich@feddit.org 3 points 6 days ago

If it comes out to 20 dollars per car and you multiply it by 50000 a year for a relatively popular model there is a nice bonus for the ceo.

Or you could just raise the price of the car by $20 since you've just added thousands in value?

I mean shit, let's take the seats out of the car! Bam! Just saved you billions, right? /s

[-] wewbull@feddit.uk 2 points 6 days ago

More coding?! Are you serious? Over a touch screen!

Also, extremely easy to test.

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[-] jeena@piefed.jeena.net 31 points 1 week ago

That's very positive.

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

That’s why I love brands like Hyundai. Never got rid of the knobs.

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

I have now a tucson and I can tell you with all the stupid an superfluous buttons everywhere that I need te press each time I start the car it is definitely not adding tot the security on the road.

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

So, you’re saying that a touchscreen where you have actively look at because you don’t have any haptic feedback is saver on the roads?

[-] Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf 2 points 6 days ago

If you can achieve the same thing with one single tap instead of going through what the OP has to, then yes.

And depending on how many buttons there are, chances are you have to look at the buttons too.

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Many buttons just perform a toggle function that could easily be solved with a setting on the screen. Removes a lot of clutter and distraction. Less buttons leave more room for buttons that might be useful to have as a physical button.

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

Are you guys playing the pain while driving? The only but I actually used is the hazard light button. The rest are all around the steering wheel.

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

There you go, you admit that apart from the hazard light button the rest is unnecessary

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Nah, heating, air conditioning, seat venting. I use all of that. But most of the time not. It I like having buttons. I mean, it’s easier if I have to switch menus all the time. You and me both know that touchscreen only is stupid. It sounds nice on paper but then you need to turn on your windshield wipers and chaos unfolds. You love Tesler and that’s okay but boy… why the fuck are we arguing about this. It’s not like we gonna change each other’s opinions and buying a new car. You like touchscreens and I like buttons. Let’s agree on that.

[-] Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf 2 points 6 days ago

Most VW cars have plenty of buttons and levers on the steering wheel. It's really not that bad. Except for the fuckup with the touch/swipe buttons on the steering wheel in some cars, lol. I personally like a good mixture of well placed and functional buttons and a touchscreen. The former for primary and secondary features that are frequently used while driving, and the latter for scrolling through settings/playlists and navigation.

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

What is Tesler? Well whatever it is, at least your insinuation is rather off, why would I have a Hyundai now 🙄

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

Trump pronounced Tesla as Tesler.

Whatever man, you win.

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I’m not maga

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I can give many examples about the stupidity of physical buttons in the Hyundai but limit myself to one example the ‘auto hold’ button… each time when I start the car I need to press it because a toggle on the display ‘default on/off’ doesn’t give me the haptic feedback. That I almost hit someone because the car starts to ‘crawl’ at high speed is of less importance. This is just one of the 70+ buttons in a Hyundai Tucson. Because there are so many I need to take my eyes off the road to verify that I press the correct one.

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

Hm, never had that problem with the Kona. When I start the car it’s automatically active until I hit the gas pedal and in any other case, recuperation is your friend. Recuperation to max and you don’t even have to break anymore.

[-] johannessmits@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Never had the problem in a Tesla as well. Once when I first used it I did the settings and all the years after it behaved the way I set it up. Not one physical buttons needed. I guess for some people the number of buttons in a car gives the a feel of importance. 🤷🏼

[-] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

Honda as well.

Subaru went all in on the touch screen and it suuuuucked.

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[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 week ago

Now, take out the bullshit that's tracking you and sending the information back to them to sell, and we'll be doing something great

[-] Leeuk@feddit.uk 19 points 1 week ago

Not sure how they were able to remove so many buttons in the first place and not be marked down on safety. Suddenly trying to find a demister on a touchscreen menu while in motion was never a great idea. Surprisingly, Volvo off all companies have been one of the worst for this. That's why I like Dacias, little tech = little to go wrong.

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[-] AFC1886VCC@reddthat.com 15 points 1 week ago

I've never had this problem because I'm too poor to afford a car new enough to not have any buttons lmao

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[-] swizzlestick@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 week ago

Not out of the goodness of their own hearts mind. It's probably more because Euro NCAP are going to be deducting score for not having physical essentials in 2026.

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this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2025
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