Straight-piped: The disruption that is happening now

At the launch of the Tata Harrier EV, a good chunk of time was spent on the slick new OLED screen that it comes with. For a second there, it felt almost as if a new gadget was being debuted and not a car. I know just enough to not be completely ham-fisted by tech, but this has got me thinking.

By now, you must be right up to date with the screens vs buttons debate, and the outcry has worked in parts. There are many instances of physical controls making a comeback or at least carmakers taking genuine notice and working harder to make easier-to-use screens.

But I think it goes deeper than that. In the last few decades, power outputs, efficiency and engine size were some yardsticks by which you convinced yourself and your friends you've bought the right car. That's become a bit hazy right now. Over time, regulations and emission norms have made cars, at least the everyday ones, converge to looking quite similar on paper. Most things under Rs 50 lakh will get you something like a 2.0-litre engine or smaller.

Conversely, screens and connectivity are now key to our existence. You literally cannot afford to not be connected anymore. Enough to make phones and other devices a necessity. As these become more ubiquitous, you now see screen sizes in devices converge to set standards.

Since you spend the most time in your car, after being on your phone, at home or at work, it's not surprising that the battle for screen space is now on four wheels. Screen modules are now more affordable than you might think, and there's been enough advancement to shape screens to almost any way you want. BMW's new Panoramic iDrive is a smart execution of this, in the way you have convenience and a sense of occasion built into one.

These screens look great and make you feel good about yourself, but they also will open up your attention spans at times when you can't be on your phones. It's common knowledge that tech firms thrive on this, so it's only a matter of time before car firms get on this idea too. For example, Mahindra's new three-screen layout in the Be 6 and XEV 9e lets you use social and shopping apps right from your car. You can even make payments for tolls and charging via Tata and Hyundai screens.

Now this sounds convenient, but it's also time that some standards are set in place to curb these setups from being distracting. Sure, AI is already becoming the next disruption here too, which makes me think you can just ask your car to do most things for itself or for you, but we do still need to make sure drivers' attention is where it should be.

It looks like while we wait for EVs to truly catch on and full self-driving to become possible, it's going to be your interactions with your car that will see the most disruption.