The interior lighting of the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 will inspire you

The annual auto show is underway in Los Angeles this week, and Hyundai used the event to debut its next electric vehicle in North America, Ioniq 6. It’s a curvy sedan that looks better than on a two-dimensional screen, and when it goes on sale in 2023, it’ll be another example of the lighting revolution that’s brightening up the automotive interior, and maybe even one that can light it up. driver’s mood

We have previously written about how designers working on the exterior of new cars have adopted LEDs. Freed from the old confines of inefficient light bulbs and big, round reflectors, new cars and trucks today are decked out in yellow and red daylight stripes and stripes, with headlights that shine brighter and cast farther down the road. If a car’s headlights are its face – and humans are good at seeing faces in things – then new lighting technology has given our vehicles a whole new range of expressions.

The interiors of the vehicles are also more expressive. LEDs have taken over from incandescents here, bringing color to the ride. The Ioniq 6, for example, has a choice of 64 different shades, door cards and backlit dashboard.

There are also six dual color themes developed by Hyundai’s UX team after conducting research into the effect of colors on mood. The study was slightly more rigorous than self-reported moods; the brain and cardiovascular activity of the participants were measured by electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram.

And interestingly, the combination of red and gold light was shown to increase activation of the sympathetic nervous system – known to control the fight or flight response – and increased cognitive and emotional alertness as determined by increased beta and gamma wave activity throughout the brain. According to Hyundai. Hyundai calls this combination a “wonderful day.”

Another color combination—turquoise and green—increased gamma waves in the frontal and parietal lobes, increasing awareness and creativity, this time through activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (which calms you down). Hyundai’s design team calls this a “creative moment.”

Hyundai told Ars that those two color combinations had the most significant effects in their study, but there are several others, including yellow and green for “healing forest,” which it says provides a “sense of stability and harmony for relaxation.” ” and “mind care”, which uses pink and violet to relieve anxiety and stress.

The effects aren’t particularly strong: half an hour set to “mind care” on an Ioniq 6 shouldn’t replace a therapist’s appointment, for example. But I have no doubt that there is a subtle effect at work here; recently at the Mercedes-Benz EQS test, I definitely went with her pink and gold lighting theme because it made me happier than other combinations, especially the default violet and blue. Or maybe my brain preferred the cream and brown colors of that SUV.

But regardless of these anecdotes, and perhaps more importantly, it adds a level of customization and the ability to individualize a vehicle that was previously not possible for most people without reaching the aftermarket.