How the Volkswagen ID.4 communicates with light

As advanced as technology has become, most communications with technology still goes in one direction - users tell them what to do, and they do it. In science fiction, computers and other machines have long talked back, and only with the advent of digital assistants have those dreams edged closer to reality.

With the Volkswagen ID.4, there's now a new way for the vehicle to communicate with its passengers. Born from research into potential future autonomous technologies and decades of experience with human-machine interface systems, the ID. Light represents a breakthrough in intelligent, two-way communications between the passengers and the car - pointing to the future of driving. 

Standard on all ID.4 models, the ID. Light is a thin line of 54 multi-coloured LEDs at the bottom of the windshield behind the cockpit. Designed to be visible in a driver's peripheral vision or at certain angles from outside the vehicle, the ID. Light communicates several types of messages through colour and patterns, having been carefully designed and engineered to help keep the driver focused on the road while giving key feedback.

Interaction with the ID. Light begins the moment the driver sits down in the ID.4, with a 'welcome' animation in white and blue letting the driver know the ID.4 is ready to go. A reverse of these colours displays when the driver leaves the car.

When using the in-vehicle navigation system, the ID. Light shows upcoming directional prompts with an animated blue line - for example, flowing to the left for left turns. If the driver or passenger wants to engage the car's voice commands, the ID. Light responds in white in front of the speaking occupant.

To help manage demands on the driver's attention, incoming phone calls trigger a green flash in the center, and in case of an emergency braking event, the ID. Light vividly flashes red. When plugging in the ID.4 to charge, the ID. Light pulses with a green status bar, giving its owner a clear a to see the battery charging state from outside the vehicle at a distance.

The idea for the ID.4 was developed from experience with automated driving technologies and vehicles Volkswagen first demonstrated at the Computer Electronics Show in 2015. Volkswagen experts realised that as driver assist systems and screens multiplied inside vehicles, so too would demands on drivers' attention.

Addressing that challenge led to many hours of research and human-machine interface design that allows the ID. Light to be both simple and highly intelligent. The ID. Light will not show two 'messages' at once, as it is programmed with a hierarchy to provide only the most important data at any given moment.

The location at the bottom of the windshield puts it in the driver's peripheral vision, letting the driver see it without glancing away from the road. Its colours and animations are a carefully curated syntax that is friendly, universal and easy to grasp - giving drivers the information they need while they keep their eyes on the road.

The ID.3 and ID.4 are the first Volkswagen EVs to feature ID. Light as standard, and as Volkswagen moves toward the future, the ID. Light will be able to add new capabilities via software updates.