Vehicles from Vegas
CES was once again awash with pioneering automotive technologies in 2024, many of which look set to grace UK cars in the near future. Here’s a taste of what was on offer
Vehicles from Vegas
CES was once again awash with pioneering automotive technologies in 2024, many of which look set to grace UK cars in the near future. Here’s a taste of what was on offer
Honda highlights
Honda debuted its next-generation EVs at CES in Las Vegas. The Japanese carmaker is launching a ‘Honda 0 Series’ line-up of cars for global markets in 2026, starting from the North American market. The Japanese brand says its development team has gone back to the starting point of Honda and reconsidered what kind of EVs it wants to create in the coming era.
It’s resulted in a new approach to EV development, represented by five core values and summed up the ‘Thin, Light and Wise’ tagline. Rather than having to develop a “thick and heavy” vehicle due to an increase in battery capacity the vehicle has to carry to secure enough range, and the large body and platform necessary to accommodate such battery capacity, the carmaker says its future EVs will blend artistic design, safety, space, joy of driving and outstanding efficiency.
The Saloon is the flagship concept model of the Honda 0 Series and will further advance the carmaker’s ‘M/M*1’ (man maximum, machine minimum) concept in the era of EVs, pursuing the ultimate ‘joy of driving’ in the EV era. It features low-slung sporty styling and developments such as steer-by-wire, posture control and an interior instrument panel with a human-machine interface (HMI) that enables simple and intuitive operations.
The Space-Hub people carrier concept has been developed under the theme of “augmenting people’s daily lives”. It’s designed to deliver a spacious cabin with excellent visibility, providing “a flexible space that immediately accommodates what the users want to do, and becomes a hub that connects people to people and people to society, generating mutual resonance with each other”.
Honda highlights
Honda debuted its next-generation EVs at CES in Las Vegas. The Japanese carmaker is launching a ‘Honda 0 Series’ line-up of cars for global markets in 2026, starting from the North American market. The Japanese brand says its development team has gone back to the starting point of Honda and reconsidered what kind of EVs it wants to create in the coming era.
It’s resulted in a new approach to EV development, represented by five core values and summed up the ‘Thin, Light and Wise’ tagline. Rather than having to develop a “thick and heavy” vehicle due to an increase in battery capacity the vehicle has to carry to secure enough range, and the large body and platform necessary to accommodate such battery capacity, the carmaker says its future EVs will blend artistic design, safety, space, joy of driving and outstanding efficiency.
The Saloon is the flagship concept model of the Honda 0 Series and will further advance the carmaker’s ‘M/M*1’ (man maximum, machine minimum) concept in the era of EVs, pursuing the ultimate ‘joy of driving’ in the EV era. It features low-slung sporty styling and developments such as steer-by-wire, posture control and an interior instrument panel with a human-machine interface (HMI) that enables simple and intuitive operations.
The Space-Hub people carrier concept has been developed under the theme of “augmenting people’s daily lives”. It’s designed to deliver a spacious cabin with excellent visibility, providing “a flexible space that immediately accommodates what the users want to do, and becomes a hub that connects people to people and people to society, generating mutual resonance with each other”.
Who’s in charge?
CES saw Bosch announce it is working on an automated valet parking service, along with Volkswagen subsidiary Cariad, which includes driverless charging of EVs.
Bosch’s solution, which is based on its existing automated valet parking system, guides electric vehicles driverlessly to an unoccupied parking space equipped with a charge spot, where a charging robot recharges them automatically. Once recharging is complete, the vehicles then manoeuvre themselves to another parking space, freeing up the charge spots for the next electric vehicles with a low battery.
It’s already being trialled in two in-house parking garages in Germany. These include Cariad’s staff parking garage in Ingolstadt, where the two companies are testing driverless parking with automated valet parking. Meanwhile, driverless charging with automated valet charging is being put through its paces in Bosch’s development parking garage in Ludwigsburg.
The new solution tackles the twin bugbears of parking and charging for drivers. And the firm says it offers a range of advantages for automakers, charge spot operators, parking garage operators and energy suppliers. It could also cut carbon emissions from road traffic in a win for the environment.
Other Bosch debuts at CES included a new processor that combines infotainment and driver assistance functions on a single system on chip (SoC), replacing the need for separate electronic control units.
Markus Heyn, chairman of Bosch Mobility, said: “We want to reduce the complexity of the electronics systems in cars and make them as secure as possible at the same time. With this demonstration of our new vehicle computer platform at CES, we are taking an important step in exactly this direction. Our goal in the medium term is to bring even more automated driving functions to the road, including to the compact and midsized car segments.”
ChatGPT will provide “accurate and relevant responses to nearly every query imaginable”
ChatGPT heads to Volkswagen
Volkswagen announced it will install the AI-based ChatGPT service in its cars from this spring, providing “accurate and relevant responses to nearly every query imaginable”.
The move will see the chatbot come as standard from the second quarter of 2024 in all Volkswagen models equipped with the IDA voice assistant, marking a first for a major automaker. This includes electric vehicles – the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and flagship ID.7 – as well as ICE models such as the new Tiguan, Passat and the facelifted eighth-generation Golf also previewed at the event.
The chatbot will also feature in other VW Group brands that use the IDA voice assistant in current MEB and MQB evo models, giving access to “automotive-grade” ChatGPT integration and providing “seamless access to the constantly growing artificial intelligence database”.
In cooperation with technology partner Cerence, VW will integrate the chatbot into its IDA voice assistant, augmenting its skills. The voice assistant will be able to control the infotainment, navigation and air con – and answer general knowledge questions. This will further evolve in the future as the AI service gains “continuously expanding capabilities”.
Volkswagen says it will be helpful on many levels, including “enriching conversations, clearing up questions, interacting in intuitive language, receiving vehicle-specific information, and much more – purely hands-free”.
Drivers won’t need to create a new account or install any apps. The chatbot can be activated by saying “Hello IDA” or pressing a button on the steering wheel.
For anyone worried about security, Volkswagen says personal data is protected. ChatGPT doesn’t gain access to any vehicle data; questions and answers are deleted immediately to ensure the “highest possible level of data protection”.
CES’ connected services
An EV services platform that connects fleets with energy and mobility service providers was debuted by Bridgestone and Webfleet at CES 2024.
Said to be a world-first, the platform integrates solutions from energy and mobility service providers under a single banner to help commercial fleets optimise their EV operations. Webfleet, along with parent firm Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, has connected with a host of industry-leading service providers to create the ecosystem.
Businesses will be able to seamlessly access energy management, battery analytics, fleet management and EV charging, routing and planning solutions, all from one platform. Not only does this make accessing the EV services faster and easier, but it also cuts the cost of integration, accelerating electrification and optimising EV operations.
Services are organised under six key pillars: charging hardware and software; smart charging; energy management; battery analytics; planning; fleet management. Customers can choose the ideal combination for their specific electric vehicle goals.
Current partners include Eaton, The Mobility House, VEV, Heliox, CTEX, Bia Power and Recoy on the energy service front. Mobility service providers include Webfleet, TomTom, Simacan, Volytica and North America’s Azuga.
“The platform integrates solutions from energy and mobility service providers under a single banner”
Kia goes commercial
Last, but not least, Kia showcased its upcoming electric vans at CES 2024, with the unveiling of three ‘PBV’ (Platform Beyond Vehicle) concepts.
The South Korean carmaker first announced its plans for PBVs in its 2020 Plan S strategy, designed to support the shift to a sustainable mobility solutions provider.
According to the Korean OEM, PBVs will provide customised vehicles and solutions that “will enhance versatility and open up limitless possibilities, catering to both businesses and individuals”, including as car-sharing vehicles and shuttles, and delivery vans and trucks.
Kia says its PBVs are “a total mobility solution that combine fit-for-purpose EVs with advanced software solutions based on the Hyundai Motor Group’s software-to-everything, or SDx, strategy”. They’re not vehicles; they are “devices that offer tailored solutions according to customer usage patterns”.
Returning to CES 2024 after a five-year break from the electronics show, Kia has revealed that its PBV business will initially be based around the introduction of an all-new modular vehicle, previewed by the Concept PV5, which will enter mass production in 2025. It’s designed for operations such as ride-hailing, delivery and utilities and will provide conversion capabilities for diverse customer needs. Versions available will include Basic, Van, High Roof and Chassis Cab variants. In the future, Kia also plans to introduce a Robotaxi model developed with Motional – a joint venture between HMG and Aptiv – which aims to provide a revolutionary autonomous hailing experience for passengers.
The PV5 will also offer enhanced data connectivity between vehicles and external data such as route or delivery information, enabling operation of multiple vehicles as a “software-defined fleet” that cuts downtime and enhances cost-effectiveness.
Kia commercial
Last, but not least, Kia showcased its upcoming electric vans at CES 2024, with the unveiling of three ‘PBV’ (Platform Beyond Vehicle) concepts.
The South Korean carmaker first announced its plans for PBVs in its 2020 Plan S strategy, designed to support the shift to a sustainable mobility solutions provider.
According to the Korean OEM, PBVs will provide customised vehicles and solutions that “will enhance versatility and open up limitless possibilities, catering to both businesses and individuals”, including as car-sharing vehicles and shuttles, and delivery vans and trucks.
Kia says its PBVs are “a total mobility solution that combine fit-for-purpose EVs with advanced software solutions based on the Hyundai Motor Group’s software-to-everything, or SDx, strategy”. They’re not vehicles; they are “devices that offer tailored solutions according to customer usage patterns”.
Returning to CES 2024 after a five-year break from the electronics show, Kia has revealed that its PBV business will initially be based around the introduction of an all-new modular vehicle, previewed by the Concept PV5, which will enter mass production in 2025. It’s designed for operations such as ride-hailing, delivery and utilities and will provide conversion capabilities for diverse customer needs. Versions available will include Basic, Van, High Roof and Chassis Cab variants. In the future, Kia also plans to introduce a Robotaxi model developed with Motional – a joint venture between HMG and Aptiv – which aims to provide a revolutionary autonomous hailing experience for passengers.
The PV5 will also offer enhanced data connectivity between vehicles and external data such as route or delivery information, enabling operation of multiple vehicles as a “software-defined fleet” that cuts downtime and enhances cost-effectiveness.
