Las Vegas (United States) (AFP)
Great promise from car manufacturers, the first cars without human driving are slow to arrive. But the sector is full of other innovations presented at the big annual technology fair in Las Vegas.
Small panorama of those who cause a sensation.
- Electrification -
Tesla is no longer the only big name in the niche of electric cars, which are swarming around the world at an accelerating rate, according to CES organizers.
"We know all electric vehicles, but we finally arrive at this turning point where they start to really make sense," said Steve Koenig, head of market research for the organization that organizes the show, the Consumer Technology Association. .
Among the new models unveiled in Las Vegas, some were clearly intended for the high-end market currently dominated by Tesla.
Thus the Fisker Ocean SUV, delivered from mid-2022 for a price starting at 37,499 dollars, offers a "California special mode" where nine windows, including the solar panel on the roof, can move to create a very airy interior while now good handling. It is "an affordable luxury all-electric SUV," according to its creator Henrik Fisker.
The Chinese start-up Byton announced the launch this year in China and in 2021 in the United States of a high-end model of its M-Byte electric SUV at $ 45,000.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has assured that all models of its Jeep brand will offer electric charging options by 2022.
- Sensors everywhere -
Who says autonomous cars says sensors. But the latter still have to gain in precision, between detection systems by light waves, radars and infrared cameras, and the sector has not yet determined what was the best solution.
"There is no perfect technology, each has its drawbacks," notes Bobby Hambrick of the Swedish group Hexagon, who presented his own prototype at the show. "You need a combination of various tools and methods", always with a back-up system if necessary, he adds.
The sensors are not reserved outside, they can also keep an eye on the driver and passengers.
Among the systems presented at the show, the Karma concept includes for example a driver monitoring system with facial recognition to unlock the car and drowsiness detector.
- Augmented reality -
New technologies make it possible to bring information directly before the driver's eyes.
The Chinese company Futurus Technology thus offers a windshield with "mixed reality", a technology combining augmented and virtual reality, which in this case can show information on the road ahead, as potential obstacles.
"This will increase safety and help the driver make a decision," said engineer Haujun Wu.
The German firm Bosch for its part presented smart glasses allowing drivers to see the notifications received for example on their connected watch without having to look away. A spokesperson for the company assured that with this system, the image was projected directly into the driver's field of vision without creating potentially annoying reflections.
- Personalization -
Some of the technologies presented at the show will allow vehicles to recognize who is in the car and adapt the seat position, temperature or music accordingly.
"You can create a profile that you store in the cloud" and that will activate once you get in the car, says Dean Phillips, who works in the automotive division of Amazon Web Services (AWS) .
The start-up Byton promises to include applications linked to CBS / Viacom for movies or entertainment, or AccuWeather for localized weather forecasts. This will bring users "a unique experience", says his boss Daniel Kirchert.
- 5G and beyond -
Companies are still working on improving voice commands or new 5G mobile technology.
Manufacturers also want to improve the dialogue between cars and their environment, infrastructure and traffic, a concept dubbed V2X.
"I think the V2X will become a major element because it allows cars to know what they cannot see, what is around the corner," said Jack Gold, technology specialist at Cabinet J Gold Associates.
Samsung has notably shown how its control unit can connect to 5G to quickly provide information to drivers.
"In 2020 we will see the advent of more cooperative forms of mobility, with 107 million cars now connected on the roads which are starting to share data on bitumen and traffic conditions in order to allow other connected vehicles to anticipate risks and improve traffic flows, "says Maite Bezerra of ABI Research.
© 2020 AFP