With a combination of the rising fuel costs and the global climate crisis, 2023 is said by many to be the year for electric vehicles (EVs). In recent months the increase in practical commuter electric vehicles in addition to high-end EVs does suggest that this could very well be the case. It is predicted that the EV industry could reach $802.75 billion by 2028.

The climate crisis has meant the initiative to turn to EVs is government led with many western countries encouraging the purchasing of electric vehicles over traditional gas or diesel. Germany for example have pledged that there will be 10 million EVs on their roads by 2030, and California has set the target of five million. Canada has pledged that by 2040, all new car sales will be electric.

Therefore, as more consumers are looking into the EV market, more manufacturers are exploring their options in producing EVs not only for the luxury market, but also for the lower end of the market with family and commuter cars. The vehicle display market itself is projected to expand from $7.2 billion in 2020 to $10.9 billion in 2025.[1]

CANbus in electric vehicles

An important aspect of a successful electric vehicle is how efficiently the different components and systems communicate. Using CANbus (Controller Area Network) ensures that these communications are efficient leading to safe operation of the vehicle. CANbus communication enables devices to communicate with each other but also react according to certain parameters and feedback from specific components.

It could be said that connecting the components and systems on an EV using CANbus gives it some sense of intelligence improving the driving experience and making it safer. All of the information gathered is relayed from the individual components to the dashboard controller enabling the driver to have access and then react accordingly. Such components include:

• Motor controllers – this relays information about the motor dynamics.
• Battery bank – The battery management system (BMS) is connected to a microcontroller and other components.
• Dashboard – The dashboard requests information from the CANbus and displays the data on the display screen.

Getting the dashboard right

How all this information is displayed for the driver is an integral part of the driving experience, as well as the safety of the driver and other road users.

Some information needs to be easily readable, such as speed, but other information can be accessed by a touch screen digital display. Throughout the lifetime of the vehicle the information required may change, meaning the dashboard itself needs to be flexible in what and how it displays data.

This is where digital displays are the answer as how the information is displayed, in what order and whether it is touch-screen or not is all down to the software loaded onto it, and how the display is configured.

The appearance of the digital display unit itself appeals to different aesthetics of the electric vehicles, including round options, like the Veethree R3 which has the appearance of a traditional gauge but the technology of a digital unit.

The Veethree R3

The Veethree R3 display unit displays the information fed into it via the CANbus network which includes protocols such as SAE J1939, NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183. The Veethree R3 display has six analog and four digital inputs, making it a versatile and reliable display solution.

This three-inch CANbus display features a fully round, edge-to-edge, touch screen display and provides the styling of a traditional analog gauge with modern digital technology. Regardless of the aesthetic of your EV dash the R3 can be loaded with custom software which can change the look and function of the display to suit any application. This means the driver can choose what information is displayed such as speedometer, rev counter and odometer.

Alternatively, our internal software engineering team can build custom applications for you, from an integrated control and monitoring system using data logging and alarm functionality to specific application-based HMI relaying to multi-function displays ensuring that the R3 meets all the requirements of your EV dash.

For more information about the R3 and our other digital displays head over to the product page.

[1] https://embeddedcomputing.com/application/automotive/electric-vehicles-powertrain/touch-panels-for-a-growing-electric-vehicle-ev-market