Intelligent mobility a key feature of CES 2019

This story first appeared in the January issue of EVtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

A “walking car” and a driverless “Urbanetic” – both with interchangeable bodies – an electric SUV with a steering wheel screen, an autonomous motorcycle, an air taxi, 5G and a massive amount of tech were features of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019.

The event in Las Vegas from January 8-11 has become the first major car show of the year, with automakers, start-ups and communications specialists showing what’s coming for autonomous and connected vehicles especially.

It attracts a huge global audience and displays hundreds of products, including a growing array of robots.

The road to autonomy was amply demonstrated, with associated tech not just around helping the vehicle self-drive but showing what can be available on board for humans once they no longer have to focus on the road.

Concept cars from automakers included Mercedes-Benz’s “Vision Urbanetic”, a Hyundai all-terrain vehicle with robotic legs and wheels for feet, and self-driving cars from Russia’s Yandex.

The Urbanetic, which provided rides at the show, and Hyundai’s walking car Elevate both have bodies which can be changed to suit the purpose.
The Elevate has a variety of travel modes such as reptile and mammalian to cover difficult terrain – making it suitable as a first responder vehicle in a disaster and also able to cater for people with impaired mobility.

Toyota revealed its new automated driving test vehicle, the Tri-P4, to help with its full autonomy “chauffer” driving technology.

Byton showcased the production dashboard for its upcoming M-Byte electric SUV featuring a 48-inch pillar-to-pillar display and a steering wheel mounted screen.

WayRay demonstrated its holographic AR head-up display technology, which overlays data about the road ahead relative to the driver’s view.
This will debut when the Genesis G80 luxury sedan becomes available in 2020.

Bell Aviation showed its Nexus flying taxi concept, while Audi and Disney, Intel and WB revealed plans to bring VR games and movies into vehicles and Samsung illustrated what it plans to get on board too.

BMW displayed a riderless motorcycle.

Nissan’s contributions included the Leaf e+ with more power and greater range, while trucking and shipping agencies and start-ups revealed their plans for future transportation and tech.

One start-up, Aeva condenses many sensors into one to reduce complexity and cost in AVs.

Aptiv worked with Lyft to provide AV rides to CES visitors, and Panasonic’s autonomous Space Ce Torta concept showed how cargo, passengers and more could be moved in future.

The tech show also featured the fifth-generation cellular wireless tech 5G that’s expected to play a major role in smart cities and transport from this year.

Smart home technology was available, particularly from Google which had Interpreter, a new feature for Google Smart Displays and Google Assistant which can translate for speakers of 27 different languages via onscreen text as well as voice.
Another aspect is Google Assistant Connect.

Amazon’s stand included Alexa’s expansion into categories outside of the home, particularly through Echo Auto.

A host of other tech and gadgetry was offered at CES 2019, but the emphasis was heavily on the smart stuff for AVs and other vehicles.

It’s expected EVs, AVs and associated tech will have an even bigger role in next year’s show.