Skip to main content

Fear the self-driving living room: When will in-car tech go too far?

Fear-the-self-driving-living-room-When-will-in-car-tech-go-too-far
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the most striking bits of automotive technology showcased at CES 2012 was the 17-inch Nvidia-backed screen in the new Tesla S Sedan. It reminded me more of a tablet than a car entertainment system, and Tesla has been the first to really get aggressive on things like apps for automobiles.

Personally, I remain annoyed that the services I use to enjoy media at home just won’t work in a car yet, and even more annoyed that I have to pay for both when I should only have to pay for media once. However, if we look ahead to self-driving cars and other advances foreshadowed by this year’s CES, I can imagine a future where a 42-inch screen is where the windshield is now, and you don’t really care how fast you get anyplace. I also wonder whether that is a good thing.

Let’s look at the future of automotive technology and driverless cars.

CES and the car that could kill you

One of the fun things about walking the automotive side of CES is counting the number of cars that could kill you. I don’t mean they will turn into robots and pound you into the pavement (though there have been a couple transformer cars that likely could have done that), I mean they have so many speakers and amps that were you to sit in the car and turn the amp up, you would get pulverized by the sound. Thank God no one has been sound blasted into hamburger yet, but I expect that day is coming.

mercedes-benz-dice-dashboard-concept5
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Still, what is interesting about these cars, other than their deadly nature, is that they aren’t designed to be driven. They are designed to showcase a lot of technology, and as a result, all of the controls have been removed along with other useless parts like the engine and transmission. Outside a convention, they’re lifeless chunks of steel. But as we move toward self-driving cars powered by electricity, the need for big engines and manual controls will evaporate, so many of these ridiculous showcase projects might actually become visions of the future.

Danger, Will Robinson!

Will Robinson was the kid in the old Lost in Space show who was always being saved by the idiotic robot with (what appeared to be) a major motor-response problem. Half the time, the robot should have been perfectly capable of pounding the danger into pancakes. But that little trip down memory lane aside, the problem I see looming is that as we move to more self-driving cars and entertainment systems that isolate you from the world, the more we’ll miss of the world and the less fun we’ll have actually driving.

A few years back, a couple of engineers drew up their idea of the perfect car: It looked like a living room with a couple of wheels underneath. I agree that may become the future, and maybe it will be safer and more comfortable, but it really doesn’t sound like much fun.

On top of that, Google hasn’t been that focused on security, and McAfee has both pointed out its shortcomings on Android and suggested that the auto industry isn’t at all ready to be as connected as it will soon need to be. A hostile attacker compromising a fleet of cars could create a rather impressive amount of damage. Think of a line of cars suddenly turning right and accelerating off the side of a bridge. While it would, at least for a short time, make the movie you were watching more exciting, it would also likely assure you’d never see the end of it.

Granted it could be worse, as this scene from iRobot demonstrates. A lot worse. (Though after seeing that, I still want that Audi.)

Blending automation with human control

I think a better future was the one showcased by the Mercedes Benz DICE project, which put a Minority Report-like windshield experience in the car. With this technology, what you were watching showed up in a heads-up display, and you could better choose between the car driving or doing the work yourself.

mercedes-benz-dice-dashboard-concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Like cruise control, I think self-driving will be best on long drives and heavy traffic, but for short hops and mixed traffic, you’ll likely be better off driving yourself. In addition, the idea of a big screen with stuff going on below the windshield almost assures you’ll be looking down when you shouldn’t be, requiring stronger accident-avoidance technology than if you just put the same information in a heads-up display on the windshield. Finally, I just don’t trust robots that much, and I think I’ll always want the option of taking back control of the car.

I expect some of us will experience this future in about 10 years. Let’s hope it is a brighter than a self-driving living room.

Guest contributor Rob Enderle is the founder and principal analyst for the Enderle Group, and one of the most frequently quoted tech pundits in the world. Opinion pieces denote the opinions of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Digital Trends.

Rob Enderle
Former Contributor
Rob is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. Before…
Toyota unveils 2026 bZ: A smarter, longer-range electric SUV
toyota bz improved bz4x 2026 0007 1500x1125

Toyota is back in the electric SUV game with the 2026 bZ, a major refresh of its bZ4X that finally delivers on two of the biggest demands from EV drivers: more range and faster charging.
The headline news is the improved driving range. Toyota now estimates up to 314 miles on a single charge for the front-wheel-drive model with the larger 74.7-kWh battery—about 60 miles more than the outgoing bZ4X. All-wheel-drive variants also get a boost, with up to 288 miles of range depending on trim.
Charging speeds haven’t increased in terms of raw kilowatts (still capped at 150 kW for DC fast charging), but Toyota has significantly improved how long peak speeds are sustained. With preconditioning enabled—especially helpful in colder weather—the new bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Also new: Plug and Charge support for automatic payment at compatible stations and full adoption of the North American Charging Standard (NACS), meaning access to Tesla Superchargers will be standard by 2026.
Under the hood, or rather the floor, Toyota has swapped in higher-performance silicon carbide components to improve efficiency and power delivery. The AWD version now produces up to 338 horsepower and sprints from 0–60 mph in a brisk 4.9 seconds.
Toyota didn’t stop at just the powertrain. The exterior has been cleaned up, with body-colored wheel arches replacing the black cladding, and a sleeker front fascia. Inside, a larger 14-inch touchscreen now houses climate controls, giving the dash a more refined and less cluttered appearance. There’s also more usable storage thanks to a redesigned center console.
With the 2026 bZ, Toyota seems to be responding directly to critiques of the bZ4X. It’s faster, more efficient, and more driver-friendly—finally bringing Toyota’s EV efforts up to speed.

Read more
Cheaper EVs ahead? GM and LG say new battery cells are the key
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV front quarter view.

General Motors and LG Energy Solution have announced a new phase in their ongoing partnership: developing a new battery cell chemistry that could significantly lower the cost of electric vehicles. The joint effort centers on lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery cells, a variation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) that’s gaining popularity for being more affordable and less reliant on expensive materials like nickel and cobalt.

This is a big deal because battery costs are still the single largest expense in producing EVs. According to GM and industry experts, LMFP cells could help bring the cost of electric vehicles close to — or even on par with — gas-powered cars. The goal? Making EVs accessible to a broader range of drivers without sacrificing range or performance.

Read more
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more