Truck vs car HMI: same tech, different priorities

According to Precedence Research, the global automotive human-machine interfaces (HMI) market was valued at US$24.7bn in 2021 and is predicted to hit US$64.5bn by 2030—a CAGR of 11.2%. A focus on technological advancement among automakers, rising demand in the connected vehicle market and increasing sales of commercial and passenger vehicles are the major factors driving the growth. Although the focus on HMI in the passenger vehicle sector has largely been at the forefront of discussions, these technologies are also sweeping across the commercial vehicle (CV) sector.

Brought to global attention following the success of the cross-platform video game Fortnite, AAA game maker Epic Games has entered the HMI industry with its Unreal Engine. The Unreal Engine is used across many industries outside video games, including human sciences, architecture, training, and film, to provide hyper-realistic, high-quality graphics. In July 2022, Epic announced it would partner with Volvo Cars to develop HMIs for its cars. Now, Epic is looking to develop HMI for the CV sector. Epic Games’ Director of Automotive, Heiko Wenczel, reveals to Automotive World what that path might be.