Why E-Mobility Needs Better Dashboards
Drivers of electric scooters, motorcycles, and compact city EVs spend their lives in dense traffic, short trips, and frequent stop-and-go conditions, so riders depend heavily on the instrument cluster for quick decisions. They need to understand range, battery health, and warnings instantly on small displays that are often exposed to bright sunlight and weather. At the same time, OEMs must keep cost, power, and packaging under tight control while still offering connectivity for riders and fleet operators.
What Riders Expect from Modern E-Mobility Clusters
Riders and delivery operators expect their "digital dashboard" to behave more like a simplified smartphone than a traditional gauge.
- Clear range and state of charge: A compact thin-film transistor (TFT) display must show speed, state of charge, and estimated remaining range at a glance, with legible graphics for both daytime and night-time riding.
- Charging and health visibility: Simple, icon-driven feedback on charging status, faults, and required service builds trust, especially for shared or fleet vehicles that change hands frequently.
- Lightweight connectivity: Bluetooth® technology and Wi-Fi® for phone pairing, app integration, and basic navigation are increasingly expected, even on entry-level e-scooters and bikes.
TFT-based digital clusters are well-suited to these needs because one hardware platform can be scaled across multiple vehicle types with only software and changes to the graphics.
Cost-Optimized TFT Clusters for Everyday E-Scooters
For commuter e-scooters, delivery scooters, e-bikes, and small cargo trikes, cost and efficiency dominate every design choice. Our Low-Cost TFT Instrument Cluster with Telematics solution addresses this with an MCU-centric architecture that keeps the electronics compact while still delivering a modern user experience.
In a typical e-mobility implementation, a graphics-capable automotive microcontroller directly drives a small color TFT and renders 2D/2.5D speed, state of charge, range, and warning indicators.
- Dual vehicle network interfaces, such as dual CAN, connect the cluster to the motor controller, battery management system, and auxiliary ECUs, while maintaining a separate diagnostics channel for service tooling.
- Integrated telematics options (Wi-Fi mirroring, Bluetooth Low Energy, Ethernet, GPS, and optional 4G) remove the need for a separate communication box, enabling smartphone pairing, basic navigation, and fleet tracking in the same design.
- An automotive HD video link connects to a low-cost analog rear camera over a single twisted-pair cable, enabling simple rear-view functionality on delivery scooters and light-duty cargo vehicles with minimal cost impact.
Scalable TFT Clusters with AI-Ready Telematics
Between basic MCU clusters and full Android cockpits, some e-mobility platforms need richer graphics, built-in telematics, and room for future intelligence, without moving to a Linux or Android stack. Our TFT Instrument Cluster with Bluetooth Audio and Telematics solution fits this middle ground with a dual-core RA8P1 microcontroller and on-chip neural processing unit (NPU) for edge analytics.
The following features are included in this configuration.
- A dual-core RA8P1 microcontroller runs both the main cluster application and telematics functions on a single chip, reducing overall system cost and board complexity.
- The on-chip NPU enables AI-ready use cases such as local anomaly detection, usage analytics, or predictive maintenance directly at the edge, without relying on a cloud connection.
- Sample application software and firmware, either bare metal C or based on RTOS options like Azure RTOS or FreeRTOS, help jump-start development and avoid any need for Linux/Android know-how.
Ready to use connectivity interfaces on the reference board, including CAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, GPS, and GSM 4G, simplify adding fleet tracking, remote diagnostics, and smartphone-based services.
The platform supports cell-phone-like UIs using popular HMI frameworks such as Qt, Crank, Segger, or LVGL, making it easier to deliver modern graphics and tell tales on compact TFTs.
Connected Cockpits for Feature-Rich Urban EVs
Some urban EVs and higher-end e-motorcycles need more than a basic cluster; they serve as a hub for navigation, rich HMI, and app-driven services. Our Connected Android-Based Vehicle Instrument Cluster solution targets these scenarios with an SoC-based architecture that can scale to multiple displays and a full connected-cockpit experience.
The following features are included in this configuration.
- An R-Car automotive SoC with multi-core processing drives the primary instrument cluster and, if needed, an additional center or passenger display, handling complex graphics, maps, and media.
- Android hosts infotainment and connected applications, while a real-time environment ensures deterministic behavior for speed, warnings, and other safety-critical cluster functions.
- Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and optional LTE connectivity support over-the-air (OTA) updates, ride-sharing, and fleet management services, as well as deeper smartphone integration.
- Vehicle networks such as CAN/CAN FD and Ethernet deliver powertrain, battery, and chassis data, enabling advanced energy visuals and context-aware alerts for drivers and riders.
Bringing Next-Generation Clusters to E-Mobility
The evolution of e-scooters, bikes, and compact urban EVs is driven by the need for more efficient, connected, and rider-friendly vehicles. By combining cost-optimized MCU-based TFT clusters with scalable Android-powered cockpits, manufacturers can deliver the right balance of clarity, connectivity, and performance across their entire e-mobility lineup.
Leveraging proven application designs such as our Low Cost TFT Instrument Cluster with Telematics and Connected Android-Based Vehicle Instrument Cluster helps reduce design risk and accelerates time-to-market for these next-generation digital dashboards. To explore these and other Renesas Winning Combinations, visit renesas.com/win.
