My 2020 E450 had to have a new front windshield installed due to a rock hitting it on the passenger side with the classic star impact but it immediately presented along with it an 8" long fracture line. I usually repair the small dings with an Autozone glass repair kit but this was obviously going to need an entire new windshield. It's the first time I've ever had a windshield replaced but as I waited for the tech to replace it (4 days after the incident) I got to thinking about a new way cars could be made to stop windshield breakage altogether. Question: Would it seem feasible to build cars with a total metal windshield with multiple cameras built into it, but on the inside of the car a full LED screen that you would swear looked as if you were seeing the real world out in front of you? The side windows and the rear windows would still be glass windows as usual but the high definition LED screen would appear to seamlessly blend in for a panoramic view. At night you could choose to use night vision. Of course keeping the cameras dry and clean would be important. This idea would blend into the idea of autonomous cars. What do you guys think would be obstacles to my idea? Or has this already been tested with no success?

 

Solution looking for a problem, imo. One malfunction from driving blind into a wall or oncoming traffic. I would not be comfortable in such a vehicle unless all cars on the road were autonomous, but even then that would be uneasy feeling….

 

MBS63AMG How would you guarantee that the power to the screens or the cameras feeding the screens would be 100% reliable? We all have experienced various system glitches that, if something like that happened with your windshield, wouldn't that result in a major accident?

 

As others have said, not the best idea for reliability. One glitch and you can't see where you are going. Reminds me of my business partner when he took delivery of his new Tesla. On the way home, the computer crashed and the entire center screen went dark. He didn't even know how fast he was driving. Just imagine this extending to the windshield. Glass can be made very sturdy, even bullet proofed, but in an effort to save weight, windshields have been getting thinner and thinner. Replacing it with solid metal would add weight again. There are other options like Gorilla Glass, which is already used on some cars.

 

Seems like a feasible idea. Just need enough redundancy.

 

You wouldn't have stereoscopic vision and that could be very dangerous, e.g. when trying to calculate the distance from the car up ahead.

 

Good point.

 

Yep, didn't even think of that. Would be 2D. Need 3D glasses and a 3D display to make this feasible, and obviously stereo cameras, but that's already standard equipment with the driving assistance features. No depth perception otherwise as stated.

 

Then there is the human vision. Some people see fine into the distance, but have difficulty seeing up close, so the latter would need glasses or contacts to drive even if they see fine into the distance.

 

Terrible idea. Have you ever tried a racing game on your TV? It's hard to understand your velocity and directional controls when interfacing with a 2D world. This would be the same without even mentioning glitches. A windshield is a wear and tear item when you really think about it, no one bats an eye when having to drop $1200 on tires or brakes but we seem to think of windshield as a lifetime investment...

 

OK,

First why do cracks in windshields propagate rapidly ? :: It is because we use tempered glass in windshields.
Tempered glass was originally specified so that if a person was launched through the windshield in an accident, the person was not stripped of his skin on the way through.
We still don't want people interacting with rapidly breaking glass so we utilize Butacite (DuPont) between 2 panes of glass, preventing the person from leaving the vehicle, but we still want the glass to convert itself into sand upon impact (tempering). This also prevents logs and other debris from entering the vehicle at high speeds. 99.9944% of drivers would rather be hit by the resulting sand than the 4×4 that wanted to come through your windshield at 75 MPH.

Technically, we are on the verge of doing what you propose (cameras and display screens.) But while glass is transparent "forever" screens have a finite life time.

What happens if you are driving in rush hour traffic and the computer takes a dump? a screen takes a dump?

I don't see how there is ANY WAY to make the screens as reliable (transparent forever) as the glass and I don't see any way to make the entire system as robust as the glass amd finmally, I don't see any way to make the system weigh less than the glass it replaces.

 

This is true to some extent. I personally have long stopped worrying about windshields. I have replaced so many. In fact as opposed to tires, windshield replacement is typically covered by insurance. In some states they even wave the deductible by law, and in other states you can add full windshield replacement coverage to your policy. At a minimum you can lower the deductible, which actually doesn't change the insurance premium much in my experience. I have a $100 comprehensive deductible, so a new windshield costs me only $100. That's unless the insurance denies factory glass and then I have to pay the difference out of pocket. That only happened once so far, though. With all the cameras, HUDs etc. these days factory glass is generally a requirement. However, there's one argument to be made about a windshield being more of a lifetime investment. Once replaced the seal will never be the same as from the factory, just like repainting the car will never be the same as factory paint. But I have so far never had an issue as long as the job is done by a reputable shop. My Mercedes dealership actually does glass replacement in-house with factory trained technicians.

 

I've enjoyed the recourse and debate on the subject. Just for everyone's information on my deal, the replacement was only $250 for me as my deductible. The windshield was $950 installed as my E450 doesn't have all the cameras and such to run up the cost. I left my car in the driveway while at work while driving my S560 and the window tech called me if I had leased or purchased the E450. I purchased it. Out of curiosity, does this affect a lease return by having the window replaced? Will it show up on Carfax? My insurance agent said it will not affect my rate. Any thoughts? I wish MB had an option to buy bullet proof front windshields. I like that idea the best. As far as the virtual windshield and problems such as near sighted versus far sighted people, the view would be perceived every bit as 3D as real life if done correctly. I do see the reasons this wouldn't work but you never know.

 

I do know that augmented windshields are on the horizon. Even if my proposal of total and full LED vision windshields doesn't ever catch on, I can see where a hybrid idea of it would be great. For example, we all know how hard it is see 40 feet in front of you during a total flash flood or dense fog where visibility is practically zero. Multiple deaths have occurred when dozens of cars and trucks crash into each other killing dozens. North of Chattanooga is an area that has been devastated with multi-car crashes due to fog. An augmented windshield might one day have the ability to switch over to the use of high tech sensory vision that would allow the driver to see things up ahead that our eyes can't pick up and it would integrate into current traditional glass. Using heat signature technology and radar detection might be capable of projecting on the windshield obstacles ahead and the autonomous portion of our vehicles could assist in preventing a crash.

 

I don't know why leased vs. purchased would matter. Maybe the tech is more careful if purchases assuming that the car will be in your possession longer. If I remember correctly, windshield replacements never showed up on my CarFax, but other comprehensive claims can. For example I had my previous car vandalized twice and both claims showed up on CarFax but didn't affect anything. People only care about accidents. Comprehensive claims also don't affect your insurance premiums, because they are no-fault claims and acts of god.