A Thought Leadership Series Inspired by the North American Vehicle Glazing Innovation Summit Featuring Stephan Pfister, EVP Automotive at Gauzy.
Key Takeaways
- Even in autonomous and electric vehicles, passengers want a visual and emotional connection to the outside world, reinforcing the long-term relevance of automotive glazing.
- Smart glass provides dynamic control over transparency, shading, privacy, and display readiness, enhancing comfort and user experience.
- Regulatory standards such as UN ECE R43 and FMVSS 205 will continue to define visibility requirements in future mobility and advanced vehicle design.
- The rapid expansion of glass areas is increasing system content and enabling more open, immersive cabin environments for EVs and next-generation vehicles.
- Smart glass improves contrast for HUDs, projection systems, and emerging transparent displays, supporting the digital transformation of the cabin.
Part 1: The Evolving Role of Glazing in Future Mobility
As autonomy, electrification, and new mobility formats accelerate, automotive interiors are becoming a central focus for OEM innovation. The North American Vehicle Glazing Innovation Summit brought together leaders from OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and advanced materials companies to explore how automotive glazing will influence tomorrows in-cabin experience.
During a live audience discussion, one question captured a major industry concern.
“What becomes of the windshield when autonomous systems see for us. Could high-definition displays eventually replace transparent glass?”
The debate did not point toward the disappearance of glazing. Instead, it reinforced glazing as a core architectural and experiential element in next-generation vehicles. Transparency, openness, emotional engagement, and situational awareness remain essential for human needs. Smart glass technologies strengthen these qualities by adding adaptive control, digital compatibility, and user centric functionality.
Part 2: Human Centered Design and the Need for Openness
When an attendee asked whether digital displays could replace windows entirely, Stephan Pfister emphasized the importance of maintaining a natural connection to the environment.
“People do not want to sit in a tin. Everyone still wants to be connected to the outside world. But the way they connect will evolve.”
Passengers expect visibility, comfort, and retention of natural light even in fully autonomous vehicles. At the same time, they want the ability to reduce glare, achieve privacy, or switch to digital content when needed.
Smart glass supports these expectations through adaptive transparency, dynamic tinting, privacy modes, and display-compatible states. This creates a flexible, user driven cabin that responds to individual needs and aligns with trends toward personalized comfort systems, premium experience design, and responsive interior technologies.
Part 3: Expanding Glass Areas and Rising System Value
A clear trend across global automotive design studios is the increasing size and prominence of glazing. Panoramic roofs are becoming larger, side windows taller, and cockpit glazing more expensive.
Stephan emphasized the impact of this evolution.
“The in-cabin experience is becoming bigger, and the glass is becoming way bigger. We are seeing content rise from about 400 dollars to more than 1,200 dollars per vehicle and even higher depending on integration.”
Glazing now contributes directly to thermal management, comfort and wellness, brand identity, and energy efficiency in EVs. As a multifunctional surface, it also becomes a platform for digital interfaces. Smart glass significantly increases the functional value of glazing by enabling privacy on demand, dynamic shading, optimized solar load management, and integration with display technologies.
Part 4: Regulatory Frameworks and the Importance of Visibility
Even as vehicles move toward higher levels of autonomy, regulatory frameworks continue to prioritize visibility. Standards such as UN ECE R43 and FMVSS 205 define minimum visible light transmittance for forward facing glazing. These requirements support fallback readiness in Level 3 and above autonomy, ensure exterior visibility for inspection and enforcement, enhance occupant monitoring system performance, and help reduce motion-induced discomfort.
During the panel, the moderator summarized the regulatory challenge.
“What can we do to help regulators understand that autonomous driving is becoming reliable, switchable glass is becoming mainstream, and these innovations are ready. How do we move the regulatory framework forward?”
Smart glass provides a path that supports current regulations while enabling new capabilities. It maintains required transparency while offering controlled shading, privacy zones, and display integration. For OEMs, the ability to balance compliance with innovation is essential as vehicles transition toward more automated operation.
Part 5: Responsive Cabin Experiences
Future mobility requires interior environments that adapt continuously to user needs. Smart glass enables responsive cabins by offering real-time control over light, heat, visibility, and privacy.
It can provide immediate transparency for environmental awareness, instant privacy for rest or productivity, and dynamic shading that improves thermal comfort and reduces HVAC load in EVs.
Stephan explained the user value clearly.
“We give people the ability to choose how connected they want to be. Either they look outside, or they have privacy and even displays.”
This adaptability supports multimodal cabin use including entertainment, productivity, relaxation, and VIP transport. As vehicles become more autonomous, this flexibility will become a defining element of premium user experience.
Part 6: Glazing as a Digital Interface
As digital interfaces expand throughout the next generation of vehicles, glazing is becoming a valuable surface for content delivery. Smart glass improves contrast for HUDs, supports projection systems, and aligns with emerging transparent display technologies. These capabilities allow windows and roof panels to shift seamlessly from analog visibility to digital interaction.
Passengers may watch projected content during a journey, switch to a shaded state for comfort, then return to a clear outside view with a single command. This fluid transition creates new opportunities for UX designers and helps establish glazing as a core component of the digital cabin ecosystem.
The Road Ahead
As electrification, automation, and next-generation mobility accelerate, smart glass is emerging as an essential interface between people, technology, and the outside environment. It balances openness with privacy, transparency with digital content, and innovation with regulatory compliance.
With scalable SPD, PDLC, and hybrid solutions, and with deep collaboration across OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, Gauzy is helping define the future of intelligent automotive interiors.
Ready to Advance Your In-Cabin Experience Strategy
If you are exploring how smart glass can elevate your next vehicle program, Gauzy’s automotive team is ready to collaborate.
Speak to an Automotive Smart Glass Expert Today
FAQ
Smart glass enables adaptive shading, privacy on demand, and improved thermal comfort, allowing OEMs to create signature cabin environments that differentiate their vehicles and support premium, EV-forward design trends.
SPD provides fast, wide range dimming and effective heat and glare reduction, making it ideal for roofs and large glazing areas. PDLC delivers instant privacy and uniform light diffusion, supporting partitions, rear glazing, and display-compatible surfaces. Both can be integrated into Laminated Automotive Glass.
By reducing solar load and minimizing reliance on HVAC systems, smart glass helps conserve battery energy, enabling better range performance. Dynamic glazing also improves preconditioning efficiency and overall thermal management.
Yes. Gauzy’s films and laminates are designed to meet applicable global standards for durability, optical performance, and safety zones such as roofs, partitions, and areas behind the B pillar. Development efforts continue to support upcoming regulatory pathways for additional glazing zones.
Gauzy’s technologies are engineered for compatibility with standard automotive lamination and glass processing workflows, supporting curved and shaped glazing, zonal tinting, and embedded electronics for seamless integration. Additionally, Gauzy collaborates closely with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers to tailor each project to specific technical and design requirements.
