Suggested Prompt

Ten years ago, there were no car companies at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Today, CES is one of the largest auto and mobility tech shows with some 300 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations in transportation and mobility.

Here’s a roundup of the top innovations unveiled at CES 2023 that we’re most excited about:

Global auto manufacturers—including BMW, Mercedes and GM—are going all in on electric vehicles (EVs). We’re seeing more EVs introduced at different price points to broaden the EV market and make EVs more affordable.

Notable EV announcements this year include: BMW's i Vision Dee, Ram’s Revolution 1500 BEV, Peugeot’s Inception Concept, Volkswagen’s ID.7 and Sony Honda Mobility’s Afeela.

Beyond simply launching more EVs, companies are ensuring that the EV market will grow by addressing factors that can potentially stifle EV sales. In their keynote address, Stellantis announced plans to lower the cost of EV manufacturing and enable lower price points by reducing its factories. Mercedes-Benz announced plans to launch a network of 10,000 high-speed chargers focused on using renewable energy sources that will be open to drivers of any car brand with compatible technology.

Automotive suppliers are supplying increasingly sophisticated equipment to power the next generation of connected cars. We’re seeing connected car features evolve beyond vehicle status and safety features to include monitoring vehicle productivity and battery charging. As a result, customers can access a wider range of technology to improve their lives.

Manufacturers such as ChargePoint, Blink and Vestel are integrating intelligent features into their EV charging equipment to help determine how much electricity is captured by the battery. In addition, more features are available for level 2 and 3 charging.

Bosch announced the development of quantum sensors in the future to enable more precise measurements than those of current MEMS sensors.

On the autonomous application side, Qualcomm demoed its Snapdragon Ride platform equipped to support multimodal sensors, including cameras, radars, lidars, AD maps and ultrasonic sensors. 

Lidar technology is also becoming more compact over time. Solid-state lidar emitters that fit inside existing camera casings (as opposed to spinning coffee cans) are expected to become available in cars starting model year 2025. This enables autonomous vehicle technology to be used for a variety of commercial and industrial applications.

We can’t talk about CES without mentioning the in-cabin experience concepts we’re seeing.

General Motors and Microsoft demonstrated a new video game, Dash Runner, that imagines how people might pass the time while their EVs charge or in a future where self-driving cars allow passengers to enjoy other forms of entertainment while on the road.

The Peugeot Inception Concept EV also features unique in-cabin experiences, incorporating AI technology that allows passengers to interact with the vehicle in a more natural way by using inputs like touch, voice, glance and gesture. It also offers AI-based features and services such as navigation, an ecommerce marketplace and payment services. The 2024 Ram 1500 BEV features a Shadow Mode, where the truck autonomously follows the driver as they walk around a job site.

BMW's i Vision Dee concept car features a Mixed Reality Slider that transforms the dashboard and head-up display into an instrument panel with features such as driving and navigation, calls and texting, mixed reality displays and access to a virtual world. The car's AI takes on the characteristics of a "smart" companion, interacting with its environment through an e-ink interface and recommending destinations, entertainment, news, calendar entries and social media posts.

The newest space is the metaverse and while we don't know exactly what the metaverse will look like, major OEMs and retail companies are experimenting with virtual realities and the metaverse.

Sustainability has become critical and what we are seeing is a continued focus on creating sustainability through materials, processes and partnerships.

BMW is aiming to achieve 100% vehicle reuse in a sustainable circular economy model for manufacturing. The 2024 RAM 1500 BEV's interior will use sustainable materials such as flooring made of recycled rubber and cork and leather that is produced by using a byproduct of the apple industry.

Bridgestone is also working on a circular tire economy, from manufacturing and ownership to maintenance and end-of-life material circularity. The company is partnering with local farmers and Native American tribes to source guayule, a domestic, renewable desert shrub used for rubber production.

Finally, e-bike profiles are becoming sleeker, and battery form factors are getting slimmer. We also witnessed one of the more unusual and innovative micro-mobility innovations—a bicycle equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell charged by a hydrogen station.

Publicis Sapient partnered with Microsoft to bring clients into the future at CES 2023. See how PS and MSFT work together.