Automotive Interior Design in the Age of Electric Vehicles: User Interface Expectations, Perceptions and Preferences

Electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as the leading alternative to internal combustion engines (ICE) and offer an opportunity to curb emissions, reduce air pollution, and decrease fossil fuel dependence. Key to their successful adoption involves understanding consumer expectations and preferences for EV user interfaces (UIs). This study explores consumer preferences and acceptance of EV UIs, focusing on expectations, perceptions and preferences of aesthetics, design, function, and features. The work presented here is part of a larger project investigating EV adoption in the Australian market and presents a qualitative observation of participants interacting with EVs. Key areas of EV interiors that impact perception and preferences include center console and dashboard, driving controls, button quantity, and screen size. Furthermore, participants expect EVs to have fewer physical buttons, prefer uncluttered UIs, favour large screens, and desire physical buttons for critical functions. These insights guide future automotive UI designs, enhancing EV adoption.