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I kicked off 2023 in the identical trend as I’ve for a greater a part of a decade: I went to Las Vegas for CES.
Yearly, I get requested the identical questions: what actually excited you this 12 months? what stood out? And what does that imply for the longer term?
A number of CES 2023 takeaways.
• Lidar corporations dominated the present ground in West Corridor (the place many of the automotive tech was positioned). All over the place I turned there was one other lidar firm, together with Hesai, Innovusion, Luminar and Ouster (to call a number of). My lingering sizzling take: all of those corporations can not survive.
• For all of the speak about superior driver help programs, there was plenty of autonomous automobile expertise on show. Nevertheless, the vibe was completely different. I didn’t get the identical hype-y ROBOTAXIS WILL BE EVERYWHERE messaging. As an alternative, autonomous automobile expertise popped up in plenty of industrial and industrial functions.
• Autonomous individuals movers and supply autos formed like big toasters are nonetheless a factor. Holon, Hyundai Mobis and Zoox are just some of the businesses that displayed these sorts of autos.
• EV charging and power storage had been sprinkled all through the present from the crowded Eureka Park to North and West Halls on the Las Vegas Conference Middle. To not point out a number of EV charging information bulletins as effectively like Mercedes’ plan to launch a world charging community.
• The automobile cabin continues to evolve right into a digital, related expertise that features augmented actuality and even digital actuality from corporations resembling Holoride. BMW reimagined the head-up show, Chrysler gave its imaginative and prescient to your future automobile cabin, suppliers like Bosch, Forvia and Harman confirmed off its in-car tech, and GM and Microsoft demoed a brand new online game referred to as Sprint Runner to showcase the type of leisure shoppers would possibly need to work together with whereas they’re ready for his or her new EV to cost.
• EVs in each kind. Stellantis had maybe one of many splashiest press conferences with its reveal of the Peugeot idea and the Ram 1500 Revolution truck idea. However I discovered EVs in all types, significantly bikes, bikes and three-wheelers in addition to obscure small off roaders.
• A bit unrelated to transportation, however I used to be shocked about how a lot robotics I encountered over at Eureka Park, the exhibition space for hundreds of startups.
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Micromobbin’ at CES
Retaining on with the CES theme of this week’s publication, right here’s a roundup of all of the micromobility information and autos that had been unveiled on the present this 12 months:
It received’t technically get you from Level A to B, however Acer debuted a brand new desk-bike that powers your units as you pedal.
AtmosGear got here to play with some electrical rollerblades, and so they solely price $500.
Italian bike-maker Bianchi used Ansys simulation software program to create extra environment friendly e-bike designs. A 70% discount in body prototyping sped up time to market and diminished improvement prices for Bianchi’s E-Omnia e-bike.
Brightway, a micromobility tech firm, launched its Navee V-series of electrical scooters, the Navee e-bike and the Navee sharing scooter.
Cake launched the Åik utility bike, which begins at $6,470 and is predicted to ship in Might.
Davinci Motor showcased its futuristic DC100 electrical bike (and had a show the place you possibly can sit on them). It’s a chunky-looking factor, however the firm says it could compete towards the efficiency of 1,000 cc combustion-powered bikes, making it from 0 to 60 in three seconds and a high pace of 124 miles per hour.
GreenStreet EV debuted at CES with the primary prototype of its 3-wheel electrical Autocycle. The corporate plans to convey the little automobile to market in 2024.
Heybike unveiled its folding e-bike constructed from a single piece of magnesium alloy.
Icoma unveiled the Tatamel Bike, a prototype for a folding bike that in traditional Japanese fashion truly folds right into a field that may be slipped underneath your desk at work. The outside of the folded up moped will be personalized in wooden, faux grass or leather-based. It’s a cool idea, however most likely will stay an idea.
MoonBikes confirmed off an electrical snow bike. Whereas this wasn’t a debut, it’s nonetheless cool. Costs begin at $8,900 for the snow bike — detachable batteries included. MoonBikes additionally launched its app at CES so riders can get actual time information on their efficiency.
RCA, a client electronics model most well-known for inventing the VCR, rode into the micromobility house at CES with new e-bikes and e-scooters designed to deal with all the things from commuting to off-roading.
Verge launched a brand new electrical superbike, the Verge TS, which options an electrical motor built-in into the again wheel, which the corporate says transfers energy straight to the street. It additionally creates more room within the center for the battery pack. It’s obtainable for pre-order now at $26,900 with U.S. deliveries deliberate in late 2023.
Yadea, considered one of China’s largest makers of electrical two-wheelers, is making a push into the U.S. market. The producer mentioned it’ll start launching a sequence of selling campaigns and occasions geared at kickstarting the model’s development within the U.S., and can open shops in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and work with 100 different model sellers, within the first half of 2023.
Different notable CES moments
Here’s a useful overview of a number of the bulletins we coated and stuff we noticed at CES 2023.
Autonomous automobile tech
Goodyear and Gatik say tire tech will unlock autonomous driving in winter circumstances.
Indy Autonomous Problem returned to CES 2023 and the Las Vegas Speedway. I had the possibility to take a look at a number of the competing automobiles and watch one make its method across the monitor at evening (and with the lights out). It was a neat demonstration to point out what sensors, compute and software program can accomplish. The autonomous racing workforce from mOve analysis groupo of Politecnico di Milano had been the winners of this 12 months’s competitors.
Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua gave a chat on the corporate’s close to and long-term imaginative and prescient. Superior driver help programs had been a spotlight, however Shashua spent appreciable time speaking in regards to the path to automated driving, together with how future client AVs will come to market at scale by utilizing its driver help system, Mobileye SuperVision.
Superior driver help programs
I took a brief journey with Comma.ai founder George Hotz (who just lately fired himself once more as CEO and claims he’s now a advertising intern) for a journey in a Kia EV6 geared up with its Comma 3 dev equipment, which runs on openpilot, an open supply superior driver help system. The Comma 3 gadget, now priced at $1,499, works on greater than 200 fashions. The {hardware}, which mounts by the rearview mirror, has three HDR cameras, two that watch the street and one night-vision digital camera to see contained in the automobile. It’s additionally geared up with mobile LTE, Wi-Fi, an IMU, high-precision GPS, and microphones.
Openpilot has continued to evolve and enhance primarily based on my private expertise. On this most up-to-date drive at a location off the strip, the automobile was capable of acknowledge (and cease) for purple lights, hold it centered within the lane, make assisted lane adjustments and hold a protected distance behind different automobiles and vehicles. It was the smoothest journey I’ve had but.
Electrical autos, together with eVTOLs
BMW revealed the i Imaginative and prescient Dee idea automobile, a four-door sedan got here out onstage in a crisp white, however later morphed into a wide range of colours and patterns to point out off Dee’s E Ink expertise.
Honda and Sony launch their new EV model Afeela.
Stellantis debuted a futuristic (with a nod to the previous) Peugeot Inception idea in addition to the Ram 1500 Revolution EV truck idea. A manufacturing model of the truck is predicted to be revealed later this 12 months and are available to market in 2024.
Stellantis additionally made an enormous eVTOL announcement. The automaker mentioned it’ll mass produce electrical plane for Archer in a $150 million deal.
Volkswagen unveiled the ID 7 outfitted with electroluminescent paint that lights up on command. However that wasn’t essentially the most attention-grabbing a part of this upcoming automobile (magic paint not included).
In-car tech
Amazon Alexa-enabled automobiles at the moment are capable of ask Alexa to search out the closest public EV charging spot.
Chrysler shares what future automobile cabins would possibly appear to be.
Google introduced an HD model of its automobile mapping answer that’s a further layer of knowledge that’s served to a automobile’s L2+ or L3 assisted-driving programs by means of Google Automotive Providers. Volvo and Polestar might be among the many first automakers to have Google HD mapping.
Google additionally rolled out new Android Auto options that make it simpler for drivers to navigate, play podcasts and music, and talk whereas on the go. The brand new person expertise design replace encompasses a split-screen format that shows instructions, music and texts on the similar time.
Hesai landed a a brand new design win with SAIC’s electrical automobile model, Rising Auto (also referred to as “Feifan” in China). The brand new mannequin of Rising Auto will carry Hesai’s long-range automotive lidar.
Holoride launches a brand new product to convey VR into any automobile. And we examined it.
Luminar founder and CEO Austin Russell supplied an replace on the corporate and the way its acquisition of Civil Maps matches into its long-term imaginative and prescient.
Nvidia’s on-demand cloud gaming service, referred to as GeForce Now, is headed to pick Hyundai, BYD and Polestar electrical autos. Nvidia made a lot of different bulletins forward of CES, together with {that a} partnership with Foxconn and that Mercedes will use its Omniverse Enterprise software program platform to design, plan and optimize its factories within the metaverse.
Stellantis launched a brand new enterprise unit referred to as Mobilisghts devoted to turning all that automobile information into marketable merchandise — and income.
Sharing economic system
Bosch rolled out a safety dashcam and accompanying assist service designed for rideshare drivers.
Free2move, the mobility service model underneath automaker Stellantis, plans to develop its automobile sharing, rental and subscription companies within the U.S.
