Development from the inside out: Mercedes-Benz Trucks focuses on the driver. New technologies and extensive networking allow innovative control, cockpit and display concepts. What consequences does this have for future truck design?

• Automated driving, connectivity, environmental regulations and electric mobility will have an increasing impact on the interior and exterior design of trucks
• At Mercedes-Benz Trucks, new cockpits and controls are developed around the driver – based on the "inside out" principle 

The work of the designers at Daimler is currently influenced to a high degree by innovations in the fields of automated driving, electric mobility and connectivity as well as by increasingly stringent environmental regulations. This also applies to those who design the interior and exterior of Mercedes-Benz trucks. They must take a range of specifics into account in their work.

Smartphone as the role model: the human-machine interface (HMI)

Mercedes-Benz Trucks strictly follows the "inside out" principle when designing the interior and the controls. All development steps are centred around the driver. The designers design a complete workplace. Truck drivers spend many hours per day sat behind the wheel. After work or between driving times, they stay in the vehicle during their breaks. They are in practically permanent contact with the designers' designs, wherever they may be. The way in which the human-machine interface (HMI) is designed has a big impact on the driver's performance. Be it the display of the speed and rpm or choosing favourite tracks in the entertainment system – not only must everything fulfil its function, it must also be acceptable to the drivers over a period of years.

"Displays should be neither too obtrusive nor too discreet. That is the issue when we develop the look and feel of trucks," explains Annelie Schanz, HMI designer for Mercedes-Benz Trucks. "Furthermore, one of our biggest challenges is to adapt the displays and indicators perfectly to each situation. The aim is for the driver to always receive precisely the information they actually need at a certain time - whether it be acoustic, visual or haptic. Distraction by other things must be avoided."

The interface between truck and driver will continue to change a great deal in the truck of the future. Even in the next generation of Mercedes-Benz trucks, the safety and assistance systems will possess an even wider range of functions. For the driver as the person responsible on board, the work of the systems must be displayed in an ideally understandable way. "Over the medium term, issues such as Truck Platooning or even more detailed and up-to-date traffic reports will pose totally new design challenges for us," states Annelie Schanz.

In view of the increasing complexity, intuitive controllability is one of the core requirements when designing the human-machine interface: "The driver wants a simple system, not a complex machine that takes a lot of getting used to," says Annelie Schanz. "In future we will therefore design all infotainment and entertainment elements so that they can be operated like a tablet or smartphone using a logic with which the driver is already familiar."

Another important trend for the design of the human-machine interface is personalisation: in future drivers will have the option of further individualising the displays and controls as well as a choice of different design lines. In fleet vehicles, each user of a truck will be able to save their own profile and call it up each time they use the truck.

Exterior and interior: clean design with high recognition value

Strict statutory requirements such as those regarding the truck dimensions give exterior designers a narrow corridor within which to work. However, here the authorities have at least recognised the need for a degree of flexibility to enable eco-political objectives to be achieved. Over the medium term it is entirely conceivable that longer driver's cabs will be permitted. This would give the exterior and interior designers more creative leeway. "On the inside, we could design the cab even more as a living and recreational space. On the outside, it would be possible to tilt the windscreens even more to further improve aerodynamics," explains Oliver Stick, exterior and interior designer for Mercedes-Benz trucks. "More efficient bodies and attachments can play a big part in reducing CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption. And, in view of the increasingly stringent environmental requirements, they are key leverage points for improving trucks."

One fundamental challenge facing truck designers is the wider model diversity compared with passenger cars. Trucks have an exceptionally wide range of tasks to fulfil, hence the sheer number of different configurations. Not to mention the different equipment lines. "Here it is a question of finding the design solution that harmonises with the vehicle's overall appearance," says Oliver Stick.

The interior and exterior designers continue to generate ideas by adopting a classic approach: with pencil and paper. The draft designs are then digitalised before producing a clay model from which a full-scale model is derived. Finally a complex digital model is developed, which then serves as a basis for all further production steps.

Although the requirement specifications for a truck are defined precisely and the statutory requirements have not yet been relaxed, the truck designers still have plenty of design options. Oliver Stick: "Our designs aim to focus on the respective key elements and at the same time deliver long-term appeal. Furthermore, a Mercedes truck must exude technological leadership, quality and emotion in every detail without being gimmicky." The aesthetic aspirations are high, states Oliver Stick: "In the case of an investment item like a truck, the design is one of the key deciding factors for the customers."