Glass: The Ultimate Driving Partner

The car industry is set for a massive transformation. People accustomed to routinely using smartphones and tablets are now expecting those same types of connections in their cars, as they get from Point A to Point B.

The cars that will take them there will never look the same – and glass is one of the materials making this revolution possible. Corning is working closely with many of the world’s top automakers to change the driving experience forever.

Here are a few reasons automakers are picking glass as the perfect driving partner:

• It’s lightweight and durable. That’s essential as government regulations continue to require greater fuel efficiency in new vehicles. A laminate with Corning® Gorilla® Glass for Automotive helps automakers reduce the weight of a car windshield by up to about 30 percent. The result: Better fuel efficiency.

That’s why Ford chose Gorilla Glass for the windshield, bulkhead, and engine cover in its much-anticipated 2017 Ford GT. The car, designed completely around aerodynamic efficiency, attracted huge crowds at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. By using Gorilla instead of conventional glass, the automaker removed 12 pounds from the car and significantly lowered its center of gravity.

• It enables a brilliant head-up display. Thousands of visitors at Corning’s 2016 CES booth slipped behind the wheel of a concept car and experienced an eye-popping head-up display (HUD) embedded in the windshield incorporating Gorilla Glass.

The HUD – favored by many drivers since it lets them see critical driving information without taking their eyes from the road – is projected from within the windshield, but focuses vision in the area between 2 and 15 meters in front of the vehicle.

The superior optical clarity of the Gorilla Glass results in a crisp, colorful, easy-to-read display of speed and fuel level information. And because the display can be easily integrated with the car’s smart network, it can also warn the driver if tire pressure or engine temperature falls out of an acceptable range.
 

• It provides a brilliant, damage-resistant display throughout the car interior. Many experts agree vehicle consoles are becoming larger and more-powerful versions of the smartphone. Without mechanical buttons and knobs, the car console becomes a thin, colorful touchscreen that’s easy to personalize.

CES visitors selected background designs, downloaded weather information, and customized trip readouts on Corning’s Gorilla Glass-covered prototype console. On the passenger side, visitors could make the perfect music selections and stream videos or headline news – then easily switch back to any visual accents they choose.

And because Gorilla Glass can be formed into three-dimensional shapes, it curved precisely around the curved center console and added aesthetic flair to the contemporary design.

• It fits perfectly into how we’ll use cars in the future. Trend-watchers may debate on exactly when autonomous vehicles will become mainstream, but most agree that they’re on their way. For those who let the car do the driving, displays with Corning specialty glass will easily turn a car console into an efficient work surface. While sensors guide the car to its destination, passengers will be able to manage emails, take video conference calls, and collaborate on projects through the surrounding interactive surfaces.

Corning’s specialty glass will also help enable the trend of carsharing and cars-on-demand. Through the easy activation of smartphone apps and a cloud-based interface, instant customization of the console touchscreen is simple – even if you’re in a vehicle with a dozen users a day.

Corning’s exhibit at 2016 CES showcased Corning’s vision on how glass enables a more connected, collaborative, and interactive world. The company introduced that vision in 2011 with the video series “A Day Made of Glass.” Since then, many leading brands, designers, educational institutions, and others have been inspired to collaborate with Corning to make this world a reality. Through our CES exhibit and our Glass Age campaign, we aim to continue inspiring innovators in the relevant supply chains to make prototypes like these commercially available.