#CES2023 - back to normal. almost.
Bernhard Kockoth
Thinking Ahead - explores and explains Automotive and Embedded Systems Technology - ViGEM designs, manufactures, and brings to life High End Automotive Data Collection Systems in Karlsruhe
My visit to Las Vegas and the CES this year was a short one, only a day and a half due to family obligations. But for anyone interested in future technology this is the place to be:
Trends first. The automotive industry has consolidated its efforts towards the autonomous car. The one-hit-startups have vanished and the year-on-year progress is in the details. Now the Software-Defined Vehicle is high on the agenda with plenty of offerings on the show floor, or in "invite only" hotel suites.
Personal Mobility Devices got bigger. Much bigger. Last years electric "new mobility" scooter and e-bikes did not come back this year. Instead, we got Boats! Plenty boats, almost 10 booths featured boats. Though CES is not the Monaco Boat Show, yet - I visited the real thing in September - this was a nice try. When not all major automotive OEMs bring cars to LV, then show boats!
Speaking of boats .. another trend is replacing real cars with pods that carry cockpit demo gear in front of giant screens. I saw these in the automotive hall at BMW, Togg, and Stellantis, see below the Chrysler Synthesis. Not quite a boat, but close, don't you think?
More trends? Back to normal. Attendance passsed the 100,000 mark. Easily.
Another trend that is as old as cars .. they get bigger. The vehicle below is the biggest ever seen at CES. And this is only their "small" 100-ton-hauler. One of many off-highway vehicles present, out in the wild it may run its preprogrammed circuit while sensors and software take care not to run over anything.
After the biggest comes the most beautiful? We have three contenders:
1. Peugeot Inception Autonomous
2. Dodge Charger Daytona SRT BEV
3. Mercedes EQXX
- which would be your favorite?
The idea of "autonomous driving" will never die. Almost the whole industry switched to development of ADAS and automated driving for limited ODD operational domain design. Kudos to Stellantis for bringing so many cars. Here is another one:
My favorite car of the show? The Geely Zeekr for Waymo. Reminds me of all the minivans I have driven while this one is supposed to drive on its own.
After all the showcars, you'd better drive in one that you can actually buy, today? Out in the $40 parking lot area, Henrik Fisker presented the "fresh off the production line from the factory in Graz", available for purchase, Fisker Ocean:
And for mobility "with substantial cost reduction" .. try this one: