(EXT) SONY ENTERS THE EV ARENA

A new player has entered the electric vehicle arena, and it isn’t a mainstream car manufacturer. Sony, whose name normally brings to mind hard-to-find gaming consoles and other in-home gadgets, is well on its way to releasing its first electric SUV to the public.

Sony brought its sleek proof-of-concept to the CES 2022 stage this week. The SUV, referred to as Vision-S 02, is an all-electric seven-seater made to integrate with “a large variety of lifestyles.” Sony says the prototype is currently being tested on public roads.

The tech giant had actually shown off a concept EV (Vision-S 01) at CES two years prior, but the prototype remained just that: a proof of Sony’s EV prowess that never actually made it into anyone’s home garage. Instead, Sony took the EV/cloud computing platform it had made for the Vision-S 01 and developed the new SUV around it, allowing the company to explore a larger cabin area without sacrificing its in-vehicle entertainment options.

Much like its predecessor, the Vision-S 02 is covered in CMOS image and LIDAR sensors meant to sense three-dimensional space. This is vital to the EV’s driver assistance system, which isn’t quite Tesla’s autopilot (this may be a good thing) but enhances the driver’s ability to judge their outside environment and accommodate oncoming emergency vehicles. 

Not only does the system interact directly with the driver, but it interfaces with the EV’s sound and human-machine interface (HMI) systems, allowing the driver to hear external signals when they arise. ExtremeTech- link - Adrianna Nine - link - more like this - link