Epic Games’ Unreal Engine should mean something to pretty much every gamer, and even if you’re not a hardcore gamer, you’ve probably heard of it and encountered it here and there. But not in the car yet.
That will change in the future because Epic Games has recognized that this market has a lot of potentials and announced in 2020 that they will attack here. One of the first car manufacturers to access the Unreal Engine will be Volvo.
Volvo wants to offer better graphics
With the upcoming version of Android Automotive, which was teased last summer with Google and which is supposed to be much faster and more modern than the current version, Epic Games’ help will be used directly in the car.
Volvo will use the Unreal Engine in the HMI (Human Machine Interface), starting with the DMI (Driver Information Module). These are the compact displays behind the steering wheel, so they don’t use the large display in the middle.
Here one promises “significantly sharper renderings, richer colors and new 3D animations” in the first step. Further elements are planned and it also sounds as if the Unreal Engine will later be used on the large display.
Volvo is talking about the “next generation of electric cars” here, but it would also be conceivable that this step could be seen in combustion engines. We don’t have to wait much longer, because Volvo’s electric flagship is coming in 2022.
I like Android Automotive, but the visuals aren’t quite the strong point of the first generation found on Volvo and Polestar. The basis for the new version of Android Automotive is the third-generation Snapdragon Cockpit platforms.
By the way, so far only Volvo has announced this step, Polestar will also show a new electric car in October. Let’s see if something happens here as well. In any case, it would be nice if the two brands promoted this together.