Hyundai S-A1 flying taxis could take flight by 2023 for Uber elevate
Uber promised flying taxis by 2023, and at CES 2020, Hyundai has announced that it will provide the hardware to make it happen inthe form of the S-A1, a drone-like passenger vehicle designed for urban mobility. The S-A1 as just one component in a larger infrastructure plan.
The Sony Vision S electric car concept is pure CES magic
If Hyundai can build flying taxis, why can’t Sony build a car? As it turns out, anything is possible at CES, and on Monday evening the Japanese electronics titan unveiled the Vision S, a concept car built to showcase what Sony can do for the cars of tomorrow in terms of sensing and entertainment technologies.
BMW and Samsung are Bringing 5G to an Electric SUV as soon as 2021
5G will enable in-car gaming, virtual reality experiences, and movie streaming, while opening the door to more advanced autonomous driving features. BMW and Samsung are working on integrating 5G directly into the iNext's electrical infrastructure. The electric SUV is due out halfway through 2021.
CES 2020: Fisker talks EV availability, “there’s a lack of choice, quite frankly”
Henry Fisker, Olivier Bellin, and Lea Malloy headlined the Ready, Set, Charge! panel at CES 2020. They talked EV availability and affordability and addressed the challenges battery technology will face over the next few years.
Toyota’s smart city will be full of autonomous cars, smart homes, robots
Toyota plans to build an entire city to test out different technologies. Called Woven City, it will house 2,000 people in sustainable buildings, with streets crisscrossed by self-driving cars. Toyota also plans to integrate robots and smart home tech in Woven City, which will be located in Japan.
Hitching a ride in Audi’s AI:Me, the autonomous city car of the future
Audi completely re-imagined the car interior by going electric and autonomous, and Digital Trends took a ride in the AI:Me to check it out. Its steering wheel tucks under a wood table, its infotainment system tracks your stare, and it's compatible with virtual reality technology.
Qualcomm Ride platform aims to make self-driving cars simpler
Snapdragon Ride is a platform for autonomous vehicles, a handful of chips and software that fits into a box no bigger than your backpack and can tie together radar of all ranges, LIDAR, CV2X communication systems, and front and rear cameras via software that knows where the car is and what’s coming up.
Sennheiser and Continental turn a car’s interior surfaces into a giant speaker
You can take your preconceived notions of in-car audio and throw them out of a moving vehicle thanks to Sennheiser and Continental. The two companies are showing off a new speakerless audio system at CES 2020 that converts a car's interior materials into an immersive sound system, saving weight and space.
CES 2020: What to expect from the annual tech show this week
It's finally here: the world's leading tech companies will showcase their latest hardware at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. Here's what to expect, the conference dates, important events, and the latest CES 2020 news.
Amazon speeds up automotive offensive with offline Alexa, Fire TV for cars
Amazon is beating Apple in the race to quench the automotive industry's thirst for tech. At CES 2020, it announced far-reaching deals for Alexa integration, offline controls, Fire TV for cars, and a tie-up with ExxonMobil that will let motorists pay for gas via voice-recognition technology.
200-mph Lamborghini Huracan Evo gets full Amazon Alexa integration
Lamborghini stitched Amazon's voice assistant directly into the Huracan Evo's infotainment system to achieve seamless integration. The driver can change the radio station, turn up the climate control, turn the heated seats off, or dim the living room lights, among other functions, by speaking a simple sentence.
Bosch sheds light on its A.I.-powered Virtual Visor tech at CES 2020
The Virtual Visor folds down like a regular sun visor, but you see the outside world instead of looking at your face in the vanity mirror. A.I.-powered software darkens individual hexagons to keep sunlight out of the front passengers' eyes, while the rest of the visor remains transparent for improved visibility.
EV maker Byton reveals apps that will fill 48 inches of touchscreen real estate
Byton calls the M-Byte, its first production car, a connected device on wheels, and it backed up this claim by forming partnerships with big names in the tech world. ViacomCBS is one of the apps that will be available in its infotainment system. Software developers are encouraged to create their own apps.
Watch Fisker unveil its electric Ocean crossover today ahead of CES 2020
Car company Fisker is about to unveil its Ocean electric crossover SUV to the world just ahead of CES 2020, and the company chose Digital Trends as the event's exclusive streaming platform. You can watch the entire event here starting at 11:45 a.m. PT on Sunday, January 5.
Luxoft’s Halo platform turns your Uber into an office, a living room, or both
Luxoft designed its Halo platform to make staying entertained, connected, or both in the back of an Uber or a Lyft as seamless as in your living room or your office. Built using LG technology, Halo identifies the occupant via his or her smartphone, and offers a personalized interface with news, music, and more.
This crash-evading electric motorcycle gets its brains from BlackBerry
Damon Motorcycles' Hypersport Pro will detect and alert riders to danger before it strikes, and BlackBerry will provide the technology to do it with QNX, the same OS used in cars from Audis to Toyotas.
Tesla delivered more electric cars in 2019 than in any previous year
Tesla said its 2019 deliveries represented an increase of 50 percent over 2018. The automaker said it delivered 367,500 electric cars in 2019, including 112,000 cars in the fourth quarter alone. The Model 3 accounted for the vast majority of fourth-quarter deliveries, followed by the Model S and Model X.
This Tesla-powered electric go-kart has an insane 600 horsepower
We had already seen an electric pickup truck with Tesla’s Cybertruck debut last year, but now, we are getting a glimpse into the possibilities of a Tesla-powered all-electric race car. The 992-pound vehicle is able to put out 603 horsepower (450kw), which, for a go-kart-sized car, is pretty darn fast.
Fiat brings its highly customizable Centoventi electric concept to CES 2020
Making its North American debut at CES 2020, the Fiat Centoventi concept is an electric car designed to be customizable. From the interior to the battery pack, everything can be swapped around like Lego pieces. Fiat's electric car plans for North American remain unclear, however.
Airflow Vision concept previews Chrysler’s quad-screen infotainment system
Chrysler's newest concept links the 1930s to the 2020s by putting a futuristic spin on one of the brand's most forward-thinking classic models. The Airflow Vision is very likely electric, and it features a customizable, four-screen infotainment system. Its tech will seep into production models in the 2020s.
Plug-in hybrid variants of Jeep Wrangler, Compass, Renegade will rumble into CES
Jeep pledged to offer every car in its range with an electrified powertrain option by 2022, and it's starting its offensive at CES 2020. The Wrangler, the Renegade, and the Compass will receive plug-in hybrid tech called 4xe. The Wrangler's will be built around a V6, while the smaller models will use a turbo four.
Bosch’s sharp-sighted lidar rounds out its suite of self-driving technology
Bosch's lidar technology can detect a motorcycle coming the other way, while a radar might not see it because it's too narrow, and a camera can be blinded by a flash of light. All three sensor types are required to build safe, reliable self-driving cars, according to the firm. It will show its lidar at CES 2020.
Aston Martin combines cameras and mirrors to give drivers maximum visibility
Aston Martin has teamed up with automotive supplier Gentex to make it easier for drivers to see out of low-slung sports cars. Views from multiple cameras are shown in a car's rearview mirror. Debuting at CES 2020, the system is still in the prototype phase, but may be used on future Aston Martin models.
Bentley’s first electric car could use cutting-edge solid-state batteries
Bentley may use solid-state batteries in future electric cars, the automaker's CEO said in an interview. But it's unclear if this new battery tech will be ready by the time Bentley launches its first all-electric model in 2025. So far, no automaker has put a car with asolid-state battery on sale.
A.I. headphones could warn distracted pedestrians when there’s traffic around
Headphones are great. They can also distract wearers from the world around them — which isn't exactly safe if they happen to be crossing busy streets. A new pair of prototype headphones could warn users of oncoming traffic, thanks to some artificial intelligence technology.
Here’s why the Mazda MX-30 has such a small, low-range battery pack
The Mazda MX-30 electric car has a relatively small battery pack, which results in a lower range than its rivals. But that was intentional, a Mazda executive said in a recent interview. Mazda wanted to emphasize lower life cycle carbon emissions rather than maximum range, the executive said.
More states will levy extra registration fees on electric car owners in 2020
The taxes levied on gasoline and diesel help states maintain roads, and legislators argue motorists who drive an electric vehicle are using the infrastructure for free. While some states collect a flat annual fee, Utah and Oregon are giving drivers the option of paying for every mile they drive.
Most Ford Mustang Mach-E reservation holders go for extended-range battery
Reservations for the Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition are full, and 80% of customers have opted for the larger of the two available battery packs, according to Ford. About 55% have chosen all-wheel drive over rear-wheel drive as well. Deliveries are expected to begin in late 2020.
Tesla delivers first electric cars from its new factory in China
Tesla is now building cars at a new factory in China. The first batch of 15 Model 3 electric cars were delivered to Tesla employees during a celebratory event at the Shanghai factory. China car production is a big step for Tesla as it looks to continue to challenge established automakers.
Kia’s next electric car, due in 2021, will be a stunner
Kia will launch a new electric car in 2021, an executive said in a recent interview. Instead of a retooled hatchback, the new model will be a purpose-built design based on the Kia Imagine concept. Kia and parent company Hyundai plan to launch 13 new or updated green cars by 2022.
Turkish government creates TOGG car brand to sell electric vehicles
TOGG unveiled a pair of close-to-production prototypes, a sedan and a crossover, scheduled to go on sale in Turkey and abroad in the early 2020s. Both are electric, and they offer between 200 and 400 horsepower depending on their configuration. They were designed by Pininfarina but the tech underneath is all Turkish.
Tesla owners will soon be able to watch Disney+ on their car’s touchscreen
Company co-founder and CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter that the feature is coming soon, though he didn't give more specific details. Owners of compatible Tesla models willing to pay a monthly fee will be able to access Disney+ while parked, and those who regularly stop at charging stations will love the feature.
Ford could build its next Mustang-inspired electric car on Volkswagen bones
Ford is already thinking about how to keep the Mach-E's momentum going, and it's in the early stages of planning a follow-up model that will be cheaper and smaller. Company executives hinted the model will ride on Volkswagen's MEB platform, which will underpin dozens of models due out in the early 2020s.
The electric Rivian R1T pickup will be able to pull a 180 like a tank
The Rivian R1T will be the only new car capable of turning around on its own axis. This high-tech alternative to a U-turn is made possible by the truck's innovative, quad-motor electric powertrain. The left wheels and the right wheels simultaneously turn in different directions to spin the R1T around like a carousel.