Sony has unveiled its concept electric vehicle at CES 2020 that’s called the Vision-S. It is the company’s take on the future of mobility and the connected vehicle could drive itself with a total of 33 sensors fitted on both the interior and the exterior.
Safety is one of the key focus for the vehicle and it gets a wide array of CMOS image sensors, Radar, Ultrasonic sensors and solid-state LiDAR. Even on the inside, the Vision-S is fitted with ToF sensors to detect the driver’s situation and expressions at all times. The vehicle’s autonomous level is currently at Level 2, which means it can control acceleration, braking and steering. However, it can be upgraded to Level 4 through future updates.
As a connected car, the system is always connected via 5G with cloud artificial intelligence. According to Sony, you can summon your car to your location via your smart devices and it will also seamlessly transfer your music to your car as you enter it. For a more immersive audio experience, the vehicle is equipped with 360 Reality Audio and there are speakers fitted around each individual the car seat.
On the inside, you’ll be greeted by a panoramic screen which is used to display driving information and entertainment content. If you don’t want to touch the screen, you can also control the vehicle’s infotainment system via a jog dial. Instead of using side mirrors, the car is fitted with exterior cameras that will provide a real-time feed into the smaller screens at each end of the dashboard.
The onboard systems will get more intelligent and more functional over time as it will receive constant updates over the air. This is made possible with AI as the car will interact and learn as part of its sensing system.
In terms of specs, the car is powered by a pair of motors that has an output of 200kW (about 268hp) each and it can do 0-62mph (100km/h) in 4.8 seconds with a maximum speed of 240km/h. The car weighs 2,350kg and it has an air spring with double-wishbone suspension for both front and rear. It’s 4,895mm long with a width of 1,900mm and has a wheelbase of 3,000mm. Sony has not provided any mileage figures for the Vision-S.
According to Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, the vehicle is made possible through several partners including Magna Steyr, which is an Austrian firm that engineers, develops and also manufacture cars for other brands. At the moment, its production also includes the BMW Z4 and the Toyota Supra.
At the moment, this is still a concept and Sony has not revealed any production plans. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
