Power and Size Key Needs for Auto HUDs

According to Jamieson Christmas, CEO of auto Head-up Display (HUD) manufacturer, Envisics, there are two key needs that car makers and their suppliers look at when evaluating HUD technology. “With electric vehicles, there is a lot of concern about power consumption. Our phase-only holographic HUD is incredibly efficient, about an order of more efficient than an LCD in like comparisons. And when you apply it to a HUD, about 100x lower power consumption. For example, an LED backlight for an LCD HUD will consume between 35W and 50W. The laser backlight for our GEN 2 HUD is about 1W. Now we have compute that is more intensive than an LCD, but we are moving to smaller silicon nodes, so the power consumption is not that high. Every Watt counts in an EV.  Secondly is the space behind the steering wheel. It is about the most congested space in the vehicle as it includes the crash structure, the steering column, air conditioning and demister ducts that are all required by law. So, trying to add a HUD is an enormous fight for space. Our technology packages more efficiently than almost anything out there, but it is still a fight.”