All consumers want for Christmas is ... buttons on a dashboard?

A painfully seasonal title, I admit, but a recent article by InsideEVs is an interesting lesson in the inherent risk of innovation.

For many years now (at least 10, according to Slate Magazine's feature), car interiors have seen (generally) widespread incorporation of touchscreens, or capacitive touch 'buttons', in favour of ‘old school’ tactile feedback buttons (e.g. switches and dials). Perhaps the most obvious example, and a trailblazer in this regard, is Tesla's range. 

Whilst touchscreens provide wide-ranging functionality and (arguable) improvements to vehicle infotainment systems, various studies and reports suggest (as one may expect) that by distracting the driver with ‘buried’ touchscreen controls (e.g. climate controls, music controls etc.), these ‘advancements’ can actually pose an increased crash risk. Furthermore, (some) consumers have generally voiced concerns, and dissatisfaction, with such unwieldy touchscreen displays and other capacitive controls.

In response, and as set out in the linked article, Volkswagen has announced that it is reversing a previous decision to go ‘buttonless’ in favour of reintroducing (some) tactile buttons. This is even for a fully electric model: the new ID.2all concept. Interesting to note is that a touchscreen will remain, but a selection of tactile buttons will be (re?)introduced (primarily around climate control and some basic music/radio controls). A seeming step in the right direction for consumers, and an interesting example of how innovation may not always go quite to plan. 

Porsche, part of the Volkswagen group, has also announced the reintroduction of (some) physical buttons in the 2024 Cayenne, a departure from the heavily touchscreen-reliant Taycan.

On a patent-related note, reverting to more ‘traditional’ arrangements presents a challenge for obtaining valid patent protection (where a concept must be ‘new’ and ‘inventive’ to be protectable), but perhaps we will see car manufacturers seeking registered Intellectual Property (IP) rights stemming from the combination/integration of the tactile buttons with the touchscreen?