Sony surprised in 2020 when at that year’s edition of the Las Vegas CES it presented the Vision-S prototype, the first car in the history of the Japanese technology brand. In 2022 he joined Honda to advance the project and now the evolutions can be seen.
Under the name Sony Honda Mobility, the Afeela, as this 100% electric car is now called, was presented at the most important technology fair in the world.
But the best of their appearance was in the presentation, as Izumi Kawanishi, president and chief operating officer of Sony Honda Mobility, used a Playstation 5 command to drive the Afeela onto the stage in front of the public awaiting the presentation.
It does not mean that it will be possible to do this with the vehicle in real life, but it does demonstrate the potential it has in terms of automation and driving assistance.
Artificial intelligence and video game engines
The model shows an appearance closer to what a production model would be than the prototype seen in previous editions. And, at the same time, other details of what it will include in the future were known.
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It was presented at CES 2004 in Las Vegas. He entered the stage controlled by a PS5 joystick.
The most important changes with respect to the original concept are the incorporation traditional side mirrors instead of camerasalong with a front bumper that was redesigned.
The headlights have also been modified and now have a more curved shape than before, while their overall structure appears more solid.
Inside there are also changes, with an on-board iron full of screens which now features a different rearview mirror, a cut-out steering wheel and dual wireless chargers for cell phones.
Regarding its technical specifications, the Afeela has a dual motor configuration (each mounted on both axles) ensuring a four-wheel drive configuration. Each of them delivers a power of 241 horsepower.
They receive energy from a 91 kWh lithium-ion battery, with a recharging capacity of up to 150 kW in direct current chargers and 11 kW in alternating current chargers.
According to the company, one of its objectives is to evolve driving assistance systems through the use of various detection devices and artificial intelligence in mobility. And they will also do it for perception and machine learning for route planning.
The company also announced a collaboration with the video game developer Epic Games, with which they managed to create a simulator that uses virtual spaces to create a new mobile user experience.
This tool simulates external environmental conditions, such as information about other vehicles, pedestrians, terrain and weather. By combining this technology with augmented reality, users will have an immersive experience that, they say, also improves security. To generate these scenarios, Unreal Engine 5 is used, the most powerful game engine that exists today.
Sony Honda Mobility will open orders for the Afeela in 2025, when production is scheduled to begin. Meanwhile, the model will be included for driving (virtually) in Gran Turismo 7 with an update scheduled for this year.