The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES,
is the go-to event for the
latest and greatest tech
consumers can expect to see in the near
and sometimes distant future.
And as the auto industry
has continued to bleed
more and more into the tech space,
it's had an increasingly large presence
at the gadget showdown.
These are the top five automotive
technologies at CES 2020.
The last thing we expected
from electronics giant
Sony was a car.
But that's exactly what we got
when it unveiled its Vision-S concept.
The electronic vehicle is designed
to showcase Sony's suite of tech.
It's equipped with 33 sensors
used for valet parking,
advanced cruise control,
facial recognition, and
various safety features.
Each seat has individual speakers
to allow passengers to
listen to their own music,
and a panoramic display shows a host of
entertainment and
driver-assistant features.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled a concept car
inspired by the 2009 "Avatar" movie.
The automaker worked
alongside the "Avatar" team
to create the Vision AVTR,
which stands for Advanced
Vision Transportation.
In true "Avatar" fashion,
the car has a biometric
connection to the driver.
Instead of a steering wheel,
you place your hand on
a pad Mercedes calls
a "multifunctional control element."
It recognizes the driver
by their heartbeat and breathing patterns.
But the most interesting
piece of tech in the concept
is the battery.
It doesn't use any unsustainable
rare earth elements or metals,
but instead uses graphene-based
organic cell chemistry,
which makes the entire
battery compostable.
Jeep already announced its plans
to electrify all of its
power trains by 2022,
and the automaker gave us a first look
at those efforts at CES 2020.
The Renegade, Compass, and
Wrangler plug-in hybrid models
were on display at Jeep's booth
wearing the new "4xe" badge
signifying its electric lineup.
Jeep isn't sharing details
on the engine, battery capacity,
range, or performance just yet.
EV startup Byton revealed an affordable
electric SUV concept at CES in 2018.
This year it's unveiled
a production-ready version of the car.
At the front of the
vehicle is the Byton Stage,
a 48-inch screen that stretches
from pillar to pillar.
It's much more than your
average infotainment system.
The Byton Stage can
integrate your calendar,
show weather updates,
sports updates, and stocks,
and, while parked, you can
enter video conference calls
and watch movies.
The Byton M-Byte will start at $45,000.
Audi unveiled its AI:ME concept car
at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2019
but brought it to CES to show off
its robust set of tech.
It's designed to be a "third living space"
outside of home and work
that delivers similar comforts
found in those spaces.
It's equipped with Level 4 autonomy
and a steering wheel that retracts
into a desktop when activated.
The concept also has
features meant to relax you
during your urban commute,
including a virtual reality headset
that allows you to fly
above beautiful landscapes,
eye-tracking to navigate
the infotainment system,
and self-learning functions,
which allow the car to
understand user patterns
and habits to increase safety,
well-being, and comfort.
While the concept is cool,
we're not so sure if we'll see this tech
in Audis in the near future.
And that's our top five
automotive technologies
from CES 2020.
Let us know what your favorite was
in the comments below.
