Sophisticated transport innovations thrill crowds at CES 2024
Opening 2024 with a bouquet of intriguing consumer electronics, so many events, keynote talks, and demonstrations were offered at CES 2024 from January 9-12 that the thousands of attendees in Las Vegas for the influential tech show wanted to be everywhere at once. With 4,000 exhibiting companies from 150 countries, that meant a jam-packed week.
The CES, owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, is not open to the general public. A trade-only event, all attendees must be industry affiliates, media, or exhibitors. Lately, the 57-year-old showcase has expanded to feature the latest in transportation tech.
This year, they’re snapping pix of Hyundai’s concept electric flying car Supernal S-A2 on display in the Supernal Vertiport exhibition next to the Las Vegas Convention Center. There, attendees can take a simulated flight above the city of Los Angeles in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, learn about potential flight networks, and understand how flying cars and vertiports create quicker and quieter metropolitan journeys.
“S-A2 IS A TRUE REPRESENTATION OF AUTO MEETS AERO, DRAWING ON THE COMPETENCE OF SUPERNAL’S TOP AEROSPACE ENGINEERS AND HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP’S WORLD-RENOWNED AUTOMOTIVE DESIGNERS TO CREAT HUMAN-CENTRIC DESIGN THAT MAXIMIZES PASSENGER EXPERIENCE AND SAFETY.”
– Luc Donckerwolke, president, chief design officer, and chief creative officer, Hyundai Motor Group
At the show, Asia’s largest flying car company Xpeng Aeroht of Guangzhou, China announced that its Land Aircraft Carrier modular flying car will become available for pre-order in 2024 Q4, with delivery to individual users starting in October 2025. Pricing was not disclosed.
The unique vehicle is designed to switch between two modes – terrestrial and aerial. The air module enables vertical takeoff for low-altitude flights, while the land module can completely enclose the air module, allowing for ground travel.
CES 2024 attendees were treated to an exciting live demonstration of the XPENG electric flying car’s transition from land to flight mode, the first time the company has given such a demonstration outside of China.
The Swiss company Garmin is using its presence at CES 2024 to showcase Autoland, the company’s Autonomous Aircraft Landing System Retrofit. Selected for a CES 2024 innovation award in the Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility Category, Garmin Autoland is the world’s first certified system of its kind with the ability to activate during an emergency to autonomously control and land an aircraft without human intervention.
In the event of an emergency, such as pilot illness, a passenger on board can activate Autoland to land the aircraft with the press of a dedicated button. Autoland can activate automatically if the system determines it’s necessary. Once activated, the system immediately calculates a flight path to the most suitable airport and runway. Avoiding threatening terrain and adverse weather, the Autoland system initiates an approach and automatically lands the aircraft.
On all levels, from high-flying to underground, new transportation technologies displayed their novel features at CES 2024.
At the Caterpillar stand, visitors saw two electric machines – a mini excavator, and a zero-exhaust-emission underground loader for mining with the industry’s only fast-charging onboard battery.
The exhibit features Caterpillar’s onsite power with generators that run renewable fuels, solar panels and hydrogen-powered fuel cells. It has energy storage solutions that work with any combination of diesel, natural gas or renewable energy sources. Rugged battery packs have built-in telematics, and chargers are tested and validated to work with equipment on harsh construction and mining sites.
Digital monitoring and advanced analytics make it easier to operate battery-electric machines and infrastructure.
From the industrial to the intangible, CES 2024 featured biometric identification that makes vehicles more secure against theft.
In a world’s first, the German company Continental, based in Hanover, used its display at CES 2024 to debut its Face Authentication Display, Biometric face authentication allows keyless entry. The vehicle will open and start up as soon as the biometric system detects a registered user.
The biometric user recognition has special camera systems mounted externally on the vehicle’s B-pillar and invisibly behind the driver display console.
A camera with biometric authentication in the interior checks whether the person in the driver’s seat is authorized to start the vehicle. The high-contrast and bright OLED display has been specially adapted so that the optical components can detect people through the activated display. Sensors integrated into the cover reliable attention and fatigue detection.
“For us, user experience is defined not only by functional and technical aspects, but also by aesthetic appeal. Sophisticated convenience and safety functions, which are not visually noticeable when in use, are a complete success for us in this respect,” said Dr. Boris Mergell, head of the User Experience (UX) business area in Continental Automotive.
Other driver and passenger enrichment experiences are central to the new Mercedes models, some designed by will.i.am, an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founding frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
At CES 2024, Mercedes and will.i.am launched MBUX SOUND DRIVE, technology that transforms the way we listen to music in the car. Using advanced software, it allows music to react to how the car is being driven, turning every trip into a dynamic musical journey.
In another industry-first collaboration Mercedes-Benz joined forces with Audible and Amazon Music to begin a new chapter of in-car storytelling. With the power of Dolby Atmos, this partnership puts drivers and passengers at the center of dynamic, concert-hall sound experiences featuring audio books, Originals, podcasts and music. A separate Mercedes collaboration with the world’s first retro games streaming service, Antstream Arcade, will integrate cloud gaming into the car.
Mercedes new MBUX Virtual Assistant uses artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic empathy with drivers. “Mercedes-Benz is reinventing the digital passenger experience by leveraging AI to offer human-like interaction with the intelligent MBUX Virtual Assistant. It includes empathetic characteristics that sync with your driving style and mood. Paired with our in-house MB.OS architecture, this approach will define the future of digital luxury,” Ola Källenius, CEO, Mercedes-Benz, said.
Another German exhibitor, the Munich-based BMW, is showcasing its ability to make its cars change color as they travel.
With the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink, drivers can change the vehicle’s appearance in line with their aesthetic preferences, the environmental conditions or functional requirements. The technology – millions of paint capsules in a custom wrap – offers unprecedented potential for personalization in the area of exterior design.
“This gives the driver the freedom to express different facets of their personality or even their enjoyment of change outwardly, and to redefine this each time they sit in their car,” says Stella Clarke, Head of Project for the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink. “Similar to fashion or the status ads on social media channels, the vehicle then becomes an expression of different moods and circumstances in daily life.”
The fluid color changes are made possible by a body wrap that is tailored precisely to the contours of the all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle from BMW. When stimulated by electrical signals, different color pigments rise to the surface, causing the body skin to take on the desired color, as shown in the photo below, courtesy BMW.
The surface coating of the BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink contains many millions of microcapsules, with a diameter equivalent to the thickness of a single human hair. Each of these microcapsules contains negatively charged white pigments and positively charged black pigments. Depending on the chosen setting, stimulation by means of an electrical field causes either the white or the black pigments to collect at the surface of the microcapsule, giving the car body the desired shade.
BMW explains that a variable exterior color can contribute to wellness in the interior and to the efficiency of the vehicle. Heating of the vehicle and passenger compartment as a result of strong sunlight and high outside temperatures can be reduced by changing the exterior to a light color. In cooler weather, a dark outer skin will help the vehicle to absorb more warmth from the sun.
In an electric vehicle, these color changes can cut the amount of cooling and heating required, reducing the amount of energy the vehicle’s electrical system needs and helping to increase its range.
E Ink technology needs no energy to keep the chosen color state constant. Current flows only during the short color-changing phase.
“Digital experiences won’t just be limited to displays in the future. There will be more and more melding of the real and virtual. With the BMW iX Flow, we are bringing the car body to life,” Frank Weber, a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development, said.
Now across the world again to feature an electric vehicle maker from Vietnam that attracted lots of attention at CES 2024.
VinFast Auto unveiled its new electric mid-size pickup truck, exemplifying VinFast’s commitment to broadening its product range and promoting sustainable mobility. The VF Wild concept truck “caters to the new generation of consumers looking for innovation and eco-friendliness without compromising on performance and durability,” the company says.
VinFast says the “Wild” in the truck’s name represents “the force of nature.” It embodies the brand’s ethos of “breaking boundaries to venture beyond and signifies its ongoing commitment toward a green future for everyone,” the company said in a statement.
Tran Mai Hoa, deputy CEO of sales and marketing, VinFast Global, said, “We are very proud to introduce the VF Wild concept, which encapsulates our mission to make sustainable, high-quality electric vehicles accessible to a broader market. This is not just a new product in our offering. It showcases our aspiration to venture into the fast-paced and thriving electric pickup truck market.”
Envisioning a future where electric mobility is universally accessible and suitable to our terrain environments, the VF Wild encourages customers to break free from the urban routine and fully immerse themselves in the beauty of nature.
VinFast also announced the global launch of its latest electric model, the VF 3, a mini-eSUV. With a range of over 125 miles per full charge, this practical four-seater provides “a new companion for a generation of young drivers who value practicality alongside personality,” she said.
In a third offering, VinFast spotlighted the U.S. rollout of its DrgnFly electric bike with a driving range of up to 63 miles (102 km) and a detachable lithium-ion battery. The DrgnFly features a 750W engine integrated into the rear wheel and a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). An advanced energy management system allows a long travel distance, instant power, and multiple riding modes.
Of Course, AI is Everywhere
The Consumer Technology Association’s Director of Thematic Programs Brian Comiskey and Director of Research Jessica Boothe presented 2024’s Top Tech Trends to Watch. They showcased how AI, sustainability and inclusive tech design will advance tomorrow’s technologies such as mobility, digital health, content, gaming and agrifood tech.
Underpinning these trends and evolution in the industry is what they view as, “…the rise of Gen Z as a sizable and influential segment, especially in emerging market nations where they’re rapidly connecting to the internet to shape worldwide trends.” In turn, innovation in both the consumer and the enterprise will advance to a more intelligent, greener, and more inclusive tomorrow.
“AI IS FUELING A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT, DRIVING INTERCONNECTIVITY BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY. AT THE CENTER OF THIS TRANSITION IS SILICON. WHETHER IT IS YOUR PC, THE CHECKOUT AT YOUR LOCAL RETAIL STORE OR YOUR PERSONAL AUTOMOBILE, SEMICONDUCTORS ARE ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAINING AND ENABLING OUR MODERN ECONOMIES AND LIFESTYLES.”
– Pat Gelsinger, Chief Executive Officer, Intel
“At CES 2024,” said Geilsinger, “we will explore how these chips – amplified by innovative and open software – are enabling AI capabilities for consumers and business alike, creating a better, more sustainable and inclusive future for all.”
Siemens CEO Roland Busch delivered a keynote address at CES 2024, unveiling innovations in artificial intelligence that combine the real and digital worlds.
“We envision the industrial metaverse as a virtual world that is nearly indistinguishable from reality, enabling people – along with AI – to collaborate in real time to address real-world challenges,” Busch said. “This will empower customers to accelerate innovation, enhance sustainability and adopt new technologies faster and at scale, leading to a profound transformation of entire industries and our everyday lives. Together with our customers and partners, Siemens is proud to announce new products that will bring the industrial metaverse a step closer to all of us.”
Siemens announced new partnerships and breakthroughs in AI and immersive engineering to enable the industrial metaverse, and highlighted how these technologies are empowering the world’s innovators to thrive using its open digital business platform, Siemens Xcelerator.
Siemens and Sony Corporation are partnering to introduce a new solution that combines the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software with Sony’s new spatial content creation system. It features an XR head-mounted display with high-quality 4K OLED microdisplays and controllers for intuitive interaction with 3D objects.
Yoshinori Matsumoto, executive deputy president and officer in charge of technology and incubation at Sony, said, “By combining our technologies and Siemens’ expertise in engineering, we are excited to enable more immersive engineering that redefines the daily workflow of designers and engineers.”
“Siemens is making the industrial metaverse more accessible so that our customers can use it to solve their real-world problems faster, more sustainably and with greater efficiency – and we will make it available to companies of all sizes, so that everybody can turn their big ideas into world-changing innovations,” said Cedrik Neike, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Siemens Digital Industries.
In more AI news, the AI-based chatbot ChatGPT is coming to Volkswagen cars, the German automaker confirmed at CES 2024. The technology will be integrated into VW’s existing IDA voice assistant and introduced in European models after April. The chatbot will be installed in the VW Tiguan, Passat and Golf, as well as the electric ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7.
The integration will be enabled by Chat Pro tech from U.S. software firm Cerence, as part of its ongoing partnership with VW. Introduction in U.S. models is being considered, but no decisions have yet been made.
VW explained that ChatGPT will be utilized to help provide “additional information” on top of the queries regarding infotainment and navigation that IDA ordinarily handles, as well as answering general knowledge questions.
“Volkswagen has always democratized technology and made it accessible to the many,” said Volkswagen’s Kai Grünitz. “As a result, we are now the first volume manufacturer to make this innovative technology a standard feature in vehicles from the compact segment upwards.”
Politicians, Government Officials Explore Transport Policy
More than 160 international, federal, state and local government officials and staff are participating in the Leaders in Technology Program and attending the Innovation Policy Summit at CES, which addresses pressing issues, such as: privacy, health innovation, trade policy, competition, artificial intelligence, and self-driving vehicles.
In addition to more than 250 conference sessions and the Innovation Policy Summit for global policymakers, the Consumer Technology Association launched the Consumer Technology Circularity Initiative, a voluntary industry initiative to reduce waste, encourage more reuse, enhance recycling, reduce climate impact, and cut down on the disposal of consumer electronics. Founding partners include Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony Electronics Inc.
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