A Car that Constantly Evolves to Fit Your Lifestyle
Our Second Home on Wheels
At home, we easily add or remove things—security systems, appliances, decorations—as our needs change. But with cars? We tend to hesitate. What if customizing and upgrading a car were as simple and safe as updating a home? How might that reshape our lives on the road?
I bought my car in 2017. Since then, everything has changed: I moved from Atlanta to San Francisco, became a parent to Leo (a lovely baby boy), and my spouse, once a hesitant driver, now takes the wheel more often.
What If Your Car Evolved With Your Life?
What would my 2017 car look like if it truly adapted to these life shifts? This project explores that possibility. I strongly believe car design should be more flexible—responsive to the realities of our evolving lives. As cars last longer thanks to electrification and driver-assistance tech, rethinking how they adapt could offer valuable insights for the future of mobility.
Where It All Begins. 😜
I’m not sure how far this design project will ultimately go, but I thought it would be good to at least have a logo that reflects the philosophy and concept behind the project. So I started by creating a simple logo design. Inspired by a car tire, I designed the logo with the hope that the project will roll forward smoothly—just like a well-running wheel. I also decided to name the project “Eurecar”—a play on the word “Eureka,” symbolizing a moment of discovery, combined with “car,” to reflect that these ideas and innovations are happening in the context of a vehicle.
Why Android Was the Right Fit
To layer in new capabilities, the platform has to be backed by solid hardware and software. It should provide rock-steady USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connections while letting you fine-tune the interface and install apps with minimal friction. Android does all of that beautifully, which makes it the natural choice for this build.
I’m using an aftermarket Android head unit as the car’s “brain.” Since none are made specifically for my car model, I custom-designed and fabricated mounting hardware to fit it seamlessly into the dashboard.
Front and rear views of an aftermarket Android head unit designed for BMW.
Let’s get the head unit mounted with the custom interface!
Designing a Smarter, Driver-Adaptive UI
With the hardware (almost) ready, I’m now moving into software development, which consists of two parts: the launcher—serving as the main interface for widgets and apps—and a set of custom applications. I’m currently testing a few launcher concepts and building essential apps, which I’ll share in more detail in the meantime.