CES has more than just consumer electronics. Some of the auto manufacturers have booths showing off their new vehicles with connective features and concept vehicles. I didn’t have too much time to spend over in the North Hall of CES, where the automotive companies and automotive accessories were housed. CES, also, did a little bit of booth rearranging this year and consolidated exhibitor categories together in the same Halls. So a lot of the companies that used to be in the North Hall were moved to the South Hall at the LVCC or at the Sands Expo. Because of the rearrangement my time spent in this area was limited, but I did get to see some really cool concept vehicles as I was on my way to do a test drive at the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and go to a couple of booth appointments.
• KIA
– Niro EV Concept
This concept vehicle was on display at the Kia booth at CES. The design of this vehicle has some very smooth and sharp lines. Like the black matte color on the outside and the silver/grey interior. It has a 64 kilowatt hour battery pack, which has a range of about 238 miles, with a 200 horsepower electric motor. Includes a new pedestrian warning technology system.
https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/niro/2018
• NISSAN
– IMx Concept
This concept vehicle has a nice design and futuristic look. It has a full suite of autonomous driving capabilities, seating for four, and an electric powertrain with more torque than the Nissan GT-R. Two electric motors power the IMx, with 430 horsepower and able to travel about 373 miles on a single charge. Also has sensors along the inside trim of the door so it can sense a child or dog at a crosswalk.
– Leaf
I did a test drive of the all-new Nissan Leaf while at CES. The test drive route was supposed to take me from the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino to Red Rocks and last about an hour. Due to the rain we had to cut the test drive route a bit short, due to the numerous accidents, heavy traffic and street conditions.
This was my first time driving a 100% electric vehicle of this nature that has enhanced connectivity features. The e-Pedal feature took getting used to. When activated, you can drive without using the brake pedal. Accelerate by pushing the gas pedal and as you lift your foot off the gas the vehicle will brake on its own. The brake lights activate when you take your foot of the gas pedal. The feature kind of reminded me of the Disneyland Autopia cars. I tried to use the ProPILOT Assist, but the rain and ground conditions made it difficult for it to work. The ProPILOT Assist keeps the vehicle within your lane of the road and needs to be able to see the lines on the road to work. Only problem was that some of the streets we drove on were older or had road construction where lines were faint. But when it worked, it worked perfectly keeping me centered.
https://newsroom.nissan-global.com
• MERCEDES-BENZ
– Smart Vision EQ Concept
Could this be an image of the future of what self-driving cars will look like? This looks perfect for urban driving in the city, but I don’t think I could see this as a road trip vehicle. This concept vehicle has a digital display in the front and a smaller one on the back of the mirrors. The interior looks pretty spacious since it seems to not have those center consoles. The dashboard has one large wide display and probably has a lot of mobile connectivity. It has huge windows, almost making it look like a bubble.
• YAMAHA
– MOTOROiD
This motorcycle has an AI to sense the rider’s characteristics, biometrics, movements, etc. to interact with its rider for autonomous driving. It is equipped with a high-precision balance control system, which can sense and adjust its center of gravity accordingly, to stand up off its kickstand to remain upright unassisted. It can also recognize its owner and move forward to meet him/her and react based on their actions.
– MOTORBOT Ver. 2
Autonomous motorcycle-riding robot. Can ride around a racetrack at high speeds, visualize data about human and motorcycle operation, deduce the relationship between rider input and machine behavior. Plans are being made to have the MOTORBOT safely exceed 200 kph and then challenge MotoGP star Valentino Rossi to a battle of lap times.
https://global.yamaha-motor.com/showroom/
• MUNRO MOTOR
– Munro 2.0
These e-bikes have a slightly vintage and retro look of the Indian Motorcycle. The removable battery pack will give you a travel range of up to 30 miles per charge, with speeds of up to 28 miles per hour and a USB port to charge your devices . The paint of these vehicles is covered in UV-protected clear coat to keep your e-bike looking shiny. Company has plans to ship these to the US sometime in April, but it has not given an actual firm date.
www.munromotor.com (note: webpage is all in Chinese)
• UJET
An electric scooter that folds and collapses into a compact size. The battery unit is like a rolling suitcase with its wheels and collapsible handle. Charges from any normal outlet in two hours with a travel range up to 70 km or 150 km, depending on the battery size. It is very lightweight at 43 kg and can be customized to fit your style. There are two styles to choose from, with low or high seats and five color options.
• LIMEBIKE
Use the LimeBike app to unlock and rent a bike in a nearby city or university. LimeBike uses a dockless bike-sharing system which makes it convenient to use and park it anywhere. They recently unveiled a new electric pedal assist bike, called Lime-E, at CES that has a maximum travel speed of 15 miles per hour. Pricing structure to use these bikes will be $1 to unlock and an additional $1 per every 10 minutes of riding time. Lime-E bikes will be expanding into Southern California and Bay Areas.
1 comment
Hi ,
Love reading anything about Electric vehicles including bikes and cars.
I see so much more day by day on the news and hope charging stations will keep up to the pace.
Cheers Nathan…
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