The revolutionary electric vehicle (EV) prototype "Afeela" was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2023 in Las Vegas by the joint mobility partnership between Sony and Honda. According to The Verge, pre-orders for the new vehicle are expected to begin in 2025, with sales commencing in the US in 2026.
Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, said that the vehicle will make use of Sony's expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), entertainment, VR, and AR to provide a novel EV. According to a statement from Mizuno, "Afeela reflects our notion of an interactive connection where people feel the sense of active mobility and where mobility can detect and fully understand people and society by employing sensor and AI technology."
With screens in both the front and back sitting sections, the Afeela also places a significant focus on entertainment, allowing users to view movies, listen to music, and play video games. Mizuno stated, "We also plan to offer best-in-class entertainment to our clients." He also said that Sony will work with Epic Games, the American video game studio best known for the hit game "Fortnite”. Yoshida stated, "We foresee a new in-cabin experience utilizing our understanding of UX and the UI technologies, in addition to movies, games, and music.
According to Kim Libreri, chief technology officer of Epic Games, intuitive interactive photo real augmentation—which Unreal Engine excels at—is the most natural method to represent significant data inside the automobile.
Image by Tayeb MEZAHDIA from Pixabay
Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, said that the vehicle will make use of Sony's expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), entertainment, VR, and AR to provide a novel EV. According to a statement from Mizuno, "Afeela reflects our notion of an interactive connection where people feel the sense of active mobility and where mobility can detect and fully understand people and society by employing sensor and AI technology."
Features of Afeela
45 cameras and sensors are installed both inside and outside the car of the prototype. The vehicle is classified as Level 3 self-driving, indicating that it is capable of operating independently under typical environmental circumstances while being overseen by a driver. The most advanced kind of autonomous driving technology is Level 5, or a fully self-driving car. In order to get the high-performance chips required for this capability, Sony stated that it will work with Qualcomm.With screens in both the front and back sitting sections, the Afeela also places a significant focus on entertainment, allowing users to view movies, listen to music, and play video games. Mizuno stated, "We also plan to offer best-in-class entertainment to our clients." He also said that Sony will work with Epic Games, the American video game studio best known for the hit game "Fortnite”. Yoshida stated, "We foresee a new in-cabin experience utilizing our understanding of UX and the UI technologies, in addition to movies, games, and music.
According to Kim Libreri, chief technology officer of Epic Games, intuitive interactive photo real augmentation—which Unreal Engine excels at—is the most natural method to represent significant data inside the automobile.