Sony has also integrated its popular PlayStation 5 game system into the Afeela. (AP pic)
LAS VEGAS: Electric and self-driving vehicles are one of the hottest offerings at this year’s CES 2023 consumer tech show, and on Friday I was able to get an up-close look at the evolution of cars from a means of transportation to something more like a living room on wheels.
Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture between the two Japanese corporate giants, had just unveiled its very first EV, the Afeela, two days before. Deliveries of the finished product are not scheduled to begin until 2026, but the prototype at the venue gave a feel for just how different tomorrow’s driving experience promises to be.
As I walked up to the car, I could see a colour display between its left and right headlights showing the Afeela logo. At the same time, a light embedded under the display lit up in an arc as if it was smiling at me.
The display then switched to show the weather and the car’s battery level. The point of this feature, explained Takayuki Mizukami, from the product and service planning section of Sony Honda Mobility, is convenience. “If you can see the remaining battery level from the outside, it’s easier to know when it’s time to recharge.”
Quite so. Getting closer revealed another difference between the Afeela and a more conventional vehicle: It was covered in countless “eyes”.
Izumi Kawanishi, president and chief operating officer of SHM, said the numerous cameras and sensors are needed to make the car more interactive. “It is not only meant to be intuitively cool to people, but also to be a vehicle that recognises and perceives people and connects with them at a higher level,” he said.
The next surprise came when I tried to get into the car. Approaching the driver-side door, I realised I couldn’t find the handle. There was no lock for a key, either. How was I supposed to open it? “With an app,” Mizukami said as he pulled out his smartphone. The door opened automatically.
Inside I found a plush suede seat and a semicircular steering wheel that looked like something from a racing car game. Behind the steering wheel – or half-wheel, to be more precise – was a long, narrow display panel stretching across to the passenger side. My first thought was it must be very easy to clean. The section in front of the driver shows information such as driving speed and battery level.
A separate display on the passenger side shows maps, weather information, photo albums and the game start screen.
As could be expected from a car developed by the maker of the PlayStation, the demonstration focused heavily on entertainment.
Mizukami, sitting next to me in the passenger seat, chose a Spider-Man movie on the in-car entertainment system. As soon as he did, both the screen in front of the driver’s seat and the display lights throughout the interior space turned a bright red. We were in a Spider-Man car now.
Mizukami also demonstrated the vehicle’s voice-recognition music function – “Play my daytime playlist” – that worked much like Spotify. I couldn’t tell exactly where the music was coming from, but the beat seemed to envelop me from all sides. It felt a bit like being inside a boom box.
Sony has also incorporated its popular gaming system into the Afeela. With a PlayStation 5 controller in the car, users can call up games on the entrainment system and pick up playing from where they left off at home.
The rear seats meanwhile boast iPad-sized touch screens on either side, meaning everyone can pick their own favourite game or movie..
To enhance its entertainment offerings in the Afeela, Sony has teamed up with Epic Games, the US video game maker behind the hit title “Fortnite”.
“We want to create a world where the real world and the virtual world are fused together,” Kawanishi said.
To get out of the car, passengers press the open/close button on the side of the door. The whole experience took just five minutes, but it was so immersive it felt like I had gone somewhere far away from the crowded convention hall.
Afeela will also have Level 3 autonomous driving, meaning the driver does not need to control the car under certain circumstances. Level 5 is a fully self-driving car that does not need human intervention. Other companies, both in Japan and elsewhere, are working to commercialise Level 4 autonomous vehicles, but Kawanishi said SHM had a reason for choosing Level 3.
“Suddenly not having to steer the car can in itself be worrisome,” he said. “Human senses need to grow together with the car until they catch up with automated driving.”
