CES 2022: Sony electric cars are closer

The global electronics giant Sony is close to launching its own range of electric vehicles.

The Japanese consumer goods conglomerate chose the 2022 CES tech-fest in Las Vegas to reveal its Sony Vision-S 02 seven-seat electric SUV prototype, two years after it rolled out the Vision-S sports sedan at the same venue.

It has also announced the creation of a company called Sony Mobility Inc to examine the feasibility of putting its EVs on the market.

“We are exploring a commercial launch of Sony’s EV,” confirmed Kenichiro Yoshida, the company’s chairman, president and CEO, during his live CES presentation.

“This is a bold step into the future bringing our experience in creating diverse and innovative solutions to the world.”

Up until now Sony has publicly insisted it had little or no interest in offering EVs for sale, instead pitching the Vision-S as a mobile testbed for its imaging and sensing technology, human machine interface and 5G connectivity.

But Yoshida explained there was more ambition behind the scenes.

“The excitement we received after the announcement of Vision-S encouraged us, really encouraged us to further consider how we can bring creativity and technology to change the experience of moving from one place to another,” he said.

No details of how Sony might go about developing, building and selling EVs were offered, but it is worth noting a key Vision-S development partner is Magna-Steyr in Austria, which already licenses its EV architecture to the start-up Fisker and has significant manufacturing capacity.

Sony has confirmed its Tesla Model Y fighter uses the same EV/cloud platform as what it now calls the Vision-S 01, but the larger interior space of the 02 will allow different “entertainment experiences” and accommodate “a large variety of lifestyles”.

According to Sony’s numbers the 02 is 4895mm long, 1651mm high, 1930mm wide, has a long 3030mm wheelbase and weighs in at a hefty 2480kg.

The 01 shares its wheelbase and overall length with the 02 but is lower, narrower and lighter.

Both are powered by 200kW e-motors sitting on both axles to deliver all-wheel drive. In the 02 that equates to a top speed beyond 180km/h, while the 01 blasts to 238km/h.

The 02 comes with a 157mm ground clearance – pretty low for an SUV – and rolls on 255/50R20 (front) and 275/45R20 (rear) tyres hooked up to the chassis via air-sprung double wishbone suspension.

Inside the 02, a tri-part infotainment screen stretches across the dashboard from A-pillar to A-pillar. There are screens on the back of the front seats for second-row passengers.

A glass panoramic roof is also featured.

The latest Vision-S 01 and/or 02 technologies highlighted by Sony to coincide with CES include Level 2+ driver assistance aided by CMOS image and LiDAR sensors installed around the vehicle.

The vehicle’s sound system and HMI systems interact with the driver to raise awareness of exterior issues, such as the presence of emergency vehicles.

This capability links in with autonomous driving tests also underway with an emphasis on remote operation. Last month, a Vision-S 01 in Germany was driven remotely by an engineer in Tokyo.

Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors are used in the Vision-S to provide monitoring functions for driver authentication and to watch over passengers. They also support intuitive gesture and voice commands that are intended to enhance usability of the interface.

The vehicle will also include a new function that allows users to customise the display theme and the acceleration and deceleration sounds of the vehicle.

Vehicle settings, key locks, and user settings can be synchronised by linking the vehicle to the cloud using mobile communication, including high-capability, high-speed and low-latency 5G communication between the car and the cloud. Updates are capable over the air (OTA).

Understandably, entertainment is a high priority for a Sony EV. In-seat speakers are claimed to create a three-dimensional sound field and an “immersive music experience”.

Also included is the digital ‘Bravia Core’ video service that enables shared or individual video playback on the front or rear screens.

Gaming capabilities have expanded to being able to play PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home, in addition to the ability to play streaming games through the cloud.