buttons/knobs made kona ev much better than most ev’s

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HudsonKona

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i have a 2021 kona ev. and one of the best features is it having buttons/knobs as controls, not a large ipad-like touchscreen to control almost everything(climate, radio, etc…).

i’m sure that most owners of all the ev’s out there that have such a touchscreen have adapted to their use.
but i really like that i can feel what knob to turn and never take my eyes off the road. it is so much
more safe.
i am glad to see that even up thru the 2024 model that hyundai kept them in.

any agreement…?


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Agree 100%. The interface design for touchscreens and similar surfaces is not where it needs to be to achieve a safety/distraction effect as low as buttons and knobs. When I ask my Tesla-owning friends how they like it, they say a person like me is supposed to train the vehicle to respond to voice, but I don't get the sense that they do that, which means they are taking their eyes off the road to know where the end of a finger is relative to a touchscreen control. :(

JMO, I am not an interface designer or an attention psychologist -- if you are, please speak up!
 
I think some button controls in many cars fail good ergonomic common sense anyway but removing them entirely is more about improving profit margins than advancing 'technology'. It says a lot about Tesla's influence on consumers that other EV makers have copied their flush door handles, frunks and one-pedal driving mode but then have balked at other changes that might be considered less sensible like the electric door latches and not providing regen-blended foot braking.

As EVs move mainstream I think we will see cabin designs reach a compromise between touchscreen and conventional controls because consumers will realise that EVs don't have to be different or have impractical features. It seems very much the same as Apple's idealism decades ago, the single-button mouse being an example. Their current mouse looks just as elegantly-simple but has all the functionality consumers expect.
 
100% agree. Kona has the perfect balance of screen and physical controls.
I also think we'll see less "glass cockpit" nonsense as EV models become more integrated into the standard vehicle lineup. The first generation of EVs (Bolt, Leaf, Kona) were "normal" cars, but electric. The second generation (MachE, Ioniq5, ID4) were chasing the Tesla feel in the cabin, and I HOPE that the next round of EVs, that we'll see rolled out in the next year or two will be more like the Lightning, in terms of basically matching the cockpit feel of the rest of the vehicle lineup - Nicely integrated infotainment screen, with just the right amount of "hard" buttons and knobs.
 
HudsonKona said:
i have a 2021 kona ev. and one of the best features is it having buttons/knobs as controls, not a large ipad-like touchscreen to control almost everything(climate, radio, etc…).

i’m sure that most owners of all the ev’s out there that have such a touchscreen have adapted to their use.
but i really like that i can feel what knob to turn and never take my eyes off the road. it is so much
more safe.
i am glad to see that even up thru the 2024 model that hyundai kept them in.

any agreement…?


Sent from my iPad using Inside EVs
Click to expand...

There's nothing like using a touch screen, extending your reach, taking your eyes off the road, having the annoying bump at the wrong time and hitting the wrong part of the screen. The more physical buttons, the better. You can use muscle memory, no need to look at the button to press it.
 
I think this criticism, while widely held, is overblown. My right arm is disabled, meaning I have to reach over with my left hand to operate anything on the center console, including touchscreens.

I’ve driven cars with huge center touchscreens that house climate controls, vehicle settings and infotainment. Cars like Tesla Model 3, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4. None of them made me feel like the touchscreen was a big problem.

Tesla and Ford do a really good job laying out the touchscreen, using big, conspicuous buttons and controls which are easy to aim for even while the car is in motion. In addition, they provide excellent steering-wheel and voice controls so you often don’t even have to use the touchscreen at all.

The advantage of having such a big screen is that you can fit a ton of information on it and spread it out across the screen in a way that you really can’t do with the smaller touchscreen in Hyundai vehicles.

For example the Ford and Tesla screens can a huge and highly detailed map, media controls and information, climate controls and information, and the backup/blindspot camera feeds all at once on the same screen.

In a Hyundai, if you want to browse media or radio stations, you have to hit the radio or media button to go to those screens. Then, if you want to set or change a navigation destination, or view upcoming turns, you have to hit the map or nav buttons to change to those screens.

In a Tesla, you don’t have to change screens. The map and the media controls are on the same screen. You can tap on the map to enter or change destinations, or view upcoming turns without hiding the media controls. You can tap the media section to change radio stations without hiding the map or upcoming turn list.

I honestly wish my Kona had a much bigger screen to fit more stuff on it.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
ScubaSteve said:
taking your eyes off the road,
Click to expand...
eastpole said:
taking their eyes off the road
Click to expand...

Sang Yup Lee, Hyundai's head of design agrees totally stating "the tactile feedback of real buttons, dials, and switches lets drivers keep their eyes on the road instead. Physical controls are a necessity for anything that could impact safety". He added that will change only when Level 4 autonomous driving is implemented.
 
Yes I agree. I remember when a car's tactile feedback was a desirable thing. For me it's still part of the experience of driving. Buttons are less distracting to use than touchscreens also. Having more buttons and less touchscreen was part of my purchasing decision.
 
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