Why are many cars’ screens slow and laggy when a $400 phone can have a smooth performance?

Question

Why are many cars’ screens slow and laggy when a $400 phone can have a smooth performance?

In: 11486

Answer 1

I work in the auto industry.
Car makers are *incredibly* stingy. Part of it is from a desire to maximise profits, part of it is from regulation.

First, profits:
Anything that costs money reduces profits. If a $1 processor will do the job almost as well as an $2 processor, the $1 processor gets put in the car. Very few, if any, customers will choose a car based on how responsive the screen is.

Second, regulation:
Cars are facing tough and even tougher fuel economy and emissions restrictions. Anything that adds weight increases emissions and decreases fuel economy. Worse yet, all electricity in a fossil fuel car comes from burning fuel, so anything that draws power increases emissions and decreases fuel economy. So a 5 watt processor gets selected over a 15 watt processor.

In the end, very few customers will go “I really like the new Ford, but the in-car screen is too laggy” so the manufacturers have no incentive to beef up the screen and two incentives to skimp on it.