A car 'more intelligent than humans'... for $45,000: Byton unveils electric vehicle to rival Tesla with a 300-mile range, facial recognition and a 50-INCH dashboard touchscreen
- Chinese firm Byton unveiled its first drivable prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today
- It will have a 50 inch dashboard display, facial and gesture recognition, and Level III autonomous features
- According to Byton, the crossover SUV will get more than 300 miles on a charge, and will charge quickly
- Firm plans to roll out the mid-sized vehicle first in China in 2019, before hitting the US and Europe in 2020
Byton has revealed the first look at the high-tech electric car it claims will ‘perceive more than what a human being will ever do.'
The firm finally unveiled its first drivable prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, after teasing the so-called Smart Intuitive Vehicle (SIV) since September.
The Nanjing-based company plans to roll out the mid-sized crossover vehicle with level 3 autonomy in China in 2019, starting at $45,000, before hitting the US and Europe in 2020.
The car will respond to conditions on the road to avoid potential threats; for example, ‘if the exterior lighting conditions change, your Byton will adjust to your needs automatically,’ the co-founder said. also has voice control with Amazon’s Alexa, and an intuitive gesture control system that responds to 5 different hand commands
The base model will be able to achieve 250 miles on a charge, while the higher end variant will go up to about 325 miles – and, the firm claims it will charge incredibly fast.
Byton claims it is on the verge of achieving a fast-charging system that will ‘get enough charge for a whole week of urban commuting’ in just the amount of time it takes you to have a cup of coffee.
Onstage at CES, co-founder Dr Carson Breitfeld said the car will recharge to a range of 150 miles (249 kilometers) in just 20 minutes.
And, in just 30 minutes, the battery will be 80 percent full.
Its cars are designed to be ‘the next generation of smart devices for shared mobility and autonomous driving.’
As a result, much of the focus has been put into its smart human-vehicle interface.
The car is essentially a ‘smartphone on wheels,’ a Byton test driver said during the Las Vegas event.
The interior aims to provide a ‘digital lounge experience,’ explained Dr Breitfeld. ‘Once you have taken your seat, you will feel as if you’re in a luxurious living room.’ It has a touchscreen built right into the steering wheel
The Byton car unveiled at CES in Las Vegas today is designed to be smart and sleek, with invisible door handles and flat antennas integrated into the roof, eschewing the ‘shark fins’ common in current vehicles. It will also feature an array of cameras instead of side view mirrors. According to a test driver, it's essentially a 'smartphone on wheels'
It will be equipped with gesture recognition, facial recognition, and even emotion recognition, to differentiate between the driver and passenger and personalize the rider experience.
Safety is the ‘underlying principle,’ of the design, Breitfeld explained.
The car will respond to conditions on the road to avoid potential threats; for example, ‘if the exterior lighting conditions change, your Byton will adjust to your needs automatically,’ the co-founder said.
It also has a touch screen built right onto the steering wheel, in what the firm claims is a world first.
This means ‘the driver can always interact with the vehicle in the direct line of vision.’
Photos released prior to its official unveiling showed off the tech-packed interior of Byton’s flagship car, with large touchscreens mounted on the back of the driver and passenger seats for riders in the back to enjoy. And, it will have a massive 49- by 10-inch touchscreen display spanning the length of the dashboard
It also has voice control with Amazon’s Alexa, and an intuitive gesture control system that responds to 5 different hand commands.
The car is designed to be smart and sleek, with invisible door handles and flat antennas integrated into the roof, eschewing the ‘shark fins’ common in current vehicles.
It will also feature an array of cameras instead of side view mirrors.
The interior aims to provide a ‘digital lounge experience,’ explained Dr Breitfeld.
‘Once you have taken your seat, you will feel as if you’re in a luxurious living room.’
From the get go, Byton says the car will be equipped with Level III autonomy features, with Level IV to come in the next year or so
The firm finally unveiled its first drivable prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, after teasing the so-called Smart Intuitive Vehicle (SIV) since September
It will have fitness tracking capabilities, with the capabilities to monitor heat rate, blood pressure, and oxygen level.
Photos released prior to its official unveiling showed off the tech-packed interior of Byton’s flagship car, with large touchscreens mounted on the back of the driver and passenger seats for riders in the back to enjoy.
And, it will have a massive 49- by 10-inch touchscreen display spanning the length of the dashboard.
According to Byton, the new smart vehicle will be the ‘fastest car on the data highway.’
The cars will also be able to read traffic signs, monitor blind spots, and communicate with other cars using an array of sensors and advanced image processing
The electric vehicle will have a battery range of more than 300 miles – and, the firm claims it will charge incredibly fast. Byton claims it is on the verge of achieving a fast-charging system that will ‘get enough charge for a whole week of urban commuting’ in just the amount of time it takes you to have a cup of coffee
The firm claims it will provide users with constant connection, with a bandwidth roughly five times higher than conventional systems, at up to 1000Mb/s.
This is also roughly 100 times faster than your smartphone, Byton noted during the unveiling event.
This means passengers can stream TV shows, play games, and video chat through the car.
The cars will also be able to read traffic signs, monitor blind spots, and communicate with other cars using an array of sensors and advanced image processing.
Byton says it will launch three models with this platform in the next five years.
This will include an SUV set to launch in late 2019, plus a sedan and MOV that will hit the market in 2021 and 2022, respectively
Fisker reveals its stunning Emotion electric car with 'butterfly' doors, a 400-mile range and vegan-friendly seats
- Fisker Emotion is a pure-electric saloon rival to the Tesla Model S
- Prices start from $129,900 (£96,000) and first deliveries aren't due until 2020
- As well as a 400-mile range it can be partially charged in minutes#
- The top speed is said to be 161mph thanks to a lightweight carbon-fibre body
Fisker has launched its Emotion electric luxury saloon at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – and there’s a vegan option.
The long-awaited Tesla rival, with eye-catching looks and dramatic 'butterfly' doors, has a non-animal interior available for those who don’t want the premium leather interior of the show car.
And it's not just a pretty face. The Fisker offers cutting-edge EV technologies, most notably a 400-mile range and a top speed of 161mph – though both won't be achievable at the same time.
Watch out Tesla: Henrik Fisker poses alongside the production-ready Fisker Emotion - an all-electric performance saloon that will take on the Tesla Model S from 2020
The Fisker Emotion is expected to be on sale in 2020 and cost $129,900, or about £96,000 at current exchange rates.
Size and performance-wise the four-wheel drive Emotion has plenty in common with Elon Musk’s four-door Tesla Model S, but the Fisker has a lot of carbon fibre and aluminium in its make-up so should be lighter than the popular American saloon that has become the benchmark for electric cars. In a separate CES display, Fisker is showing solid-state battery technology which they claim will be able to put a usable range into an EV in just one minute.
This tech, stated for release in 2020, could lift the Emotion’s single-charge range above 500 miles.
Available in four- or five-seat formats, the Emotion has the same four upward-opening butterfly doors first revealed in the concept car in November 2016, which can be opened conventionally via flush-fitting external handles, or remotely by smartphone.
No slouch: Thought electric cars were slow? The Emotion will have a top speed of 161mph
As well as the Tesla Model S (left), the Fisker will go head-to-head with premium saloons like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (right)
As well as looking striking, the 'butterfly' doors will make it easier for occupants to get in and out of the Emotion
The Fisker Emotion also has level four autonomy capability - which means the car can take complete control at all times - courtesy of five LiDAR (Light Imaging Detecting And Ranging) sensors whose data can be processed by the Emotion’s software to provide real-time object classification and speed up the car’s responses.
Inside, three screens will bombard the driver with information.
They include a curved dash-top infotainment screen, an iPad-style device below that in the centre console, and a third screen where the conventional dials would normally be.
That level of tech is designed to meet the rapidly rising expectations of top-end car buyers, who demand not just that their car looks good and performs well but also a high level of connectivity and driver assistance.
The Butterfly doors reveal a high-tech cabin with the choice of leather or a vegan-friendly interior
Like Tesla, the dashboard is adorned a centre console control unit that's twice the size of an i-Pad. It also has multiple wide-screen displays.
Rear seat passengers get the full cinema experience with enormous 27-in curved screens in the back
Chauffeur Edition cars (which in terms of interior space look to be on par with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class) will boast the option of a huge 27-inch curved screen for rear-seat passengers.
An array of inductive charging points underlines the importance of connectivity in this market, but specific details on the car/smartphone interface are yet to be released.
The entry price will be $129,900, which works out at £96,061 at current exchange rates
Fisker's solid-state battery technology is said to be able to put a usable range into an EV in just one minute of charging. The charger port is located in the front grille section
First deliveries are expected in 2020. Until then, Tesla can continue to rule the market for high-performance zero-emissions saloon cars
Production in the US – from an as yet unnamed plant site – will begin in 2019, with US sales also starting in that year.
The entry price will be $129,900 (£96,061 at current exchange rates). UK buyers will have to wait until 2020 for cars to be delivered.
Morgan revives three-wheel racing car design from the 1930s for $45,000 electric vehicle
- The Morgan EV3 makes its world debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, a year after announcing its plans
- EV3 can go from zero to 62 mph in just under nine seconds and maxes out at 90 mph, with a 150 mile range
- This will be the first time carbon panels will be used in the body construction of any of Morgan's creations
- Production will start in the fourth quarter of this year and each vehicle will cost around $44,200
Morgan, the British car maker known for its classic designs, has announced its plans to take on Tesla with a very different type of electric car.
The Morgan EV3 is an all-electric three wheeler weighing less than 1,102 pounds.
It uses a 20 KWH lithium battery, and will have a range of 120 miles and a top speed of 83 mph
Encased within the tubular space frame chassis is a 20 KWh Lithium Battery and a liquid cooled 46 kW motor driving the rear wheel. 'The dramatic tail lift once seen on 1930's Morgan 3 Wheeler race cars, has been re-introduced, subsequently creating a visually forward stance,' says the firm
It initially built the car as a concept, but is now going to actually produce it with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems, with production set to start later this year.
The firm says the cost will be 'comparable' to its $45,000 petrol three wheeler.
'We are delighted to announce our technical partnership with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems as we enter this exciting phase of EV3 production,' said Steve Morris, Managing Director of Morgan Motor Company.
' We have been working closely on optimizing the EV3's architecture in every way to develop a car which will offer proven reliability range and cooling performance, combined with the pure driving experience that is expected of every hand-crafted Morgan.
'The EV3 looks at the world of zero emissions motoring from an entirely different perspective, what if an all-electric vehicle was bespoke, hand crafted and exhilarating to drive?' the firm said when the car was first unveiled
'The EV3 embraces new technology, delivers responsible driving excitement and continues to celebrate traditional British craftsmanship.'
This announcement comes a year after the car maker's soft launch of the Phase 1 concept of EV3.
'The EV3 is an exciting opportunity for our customers to enjoy the unique Morgan driving experience and the joy of tailored manufacture whilst remaining conscientious towards the future of our planet,' said Steve Morris, Managing Director at Morgan Technologies.
This will be the first time carbon panels will be used in the body construction of any of Morgan's creations.
Brass conductive cooling fins will house the batteries and an off-center tri bar headlight 'add to the overall asymmetry of the design', the firm explains.
Lightweight agility is complemented by performance figures that challenge those of the petrol 3 Wheeler.
EV3 can go from zero to 62 mph in just under nine seconds and maxes out at speeds of 90 mph, with a 150 mile range.
Encased within the tubular space frame chassis is a 20 KWh Lithium Battery and a liquid cooled 46 kW motor driving the rear wheel.
'The dramatic tail lift once seen on 1930's Morgan 3 Wheeler race cars, has been re-introduced, subsequently creating a visually forward stance,' says the firm.
The first three wheel car was built in 1885 and an automobile company has kept the tradition alive over the past 130 years – just with some modern adjustments.The car company has implemented a new dashboard design that displays a classic 'magneto' switch for drive selection, a digital screen, wood, brass and glistering aluminium
'This is enhanced with low slung running lights that carry through the cylindrical form of the side pods.'
THE HISTORY OF THE THREE WHEELER
A 1914 Morgan at the starting line of a race
The Morgan Motor Company is a family-owned British motor car manufacturer that was founded in 1910 by Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan.
H.F.S. Morgan's first car design was a single-seat three-wheeled runabout, which was fabricated for his personal use in 1909.
Interest in his runabout led him to patent his design and begin production. While he initially showed single-seat and two-seat versions of his runabout at the 1911 Olympia Motor Exhibition.
Morgan established its reputation via competition such as winning the 1913 Cyclecar Grand Prix at Amiens in France.
This became the basis for the 'Grand Prix' model of 1913 to 1926, from which evolved the 'Aero', and 'Sports' models.
These models used air-cooled or liquid-cooled variations of motorcycle engines, and the engine was placed ahead of the axis of the front wheels in a chassis made of steel tubes brazed into cast lugs.The car company has implemented a new dashboard design that displays a classic 'magneto' switch for drive selection, a digital screen, wood, brass and glistering aluminium.
'The Morgan EV3 makes its world debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show,' the firm said in a recent statement. This announcement comes a year after the car maker's soft launch of the Phase 1 concept of EV3, which is now in the 'pre-production phase' that showcase a restyled body and interior
Lightweight agility is complemented by performance figures that challenge those of the petrol 3 Wheeler.This will be the first time carbon panels will be used in the body construction of any of Morgan's creations. Brass conductive cooling fins will house the batteries and an off-center tri bar headlight 'adds to the overall asymmetry of the design', the firm explains
Morgan will ramp up production for EV3 in the fourth quarter of 2016 and says the price will be similar to the petrol 3 Wheeler, which is $44,200.
This pre-production launch coincides with the announcement that a consortium led by Morgan will be awards government funding towards enhancing this technology.
Morgan was founded in 1909 by H.F.S. Morgan with the design of the Morgan three-wheeler.
The firm began producing four-wheeled variants in 1936 and gained fame throughout the globe for 'their unique blend of charisma, craftsmanship and performance'.
Morgan believes 'all our cars are coach built and subjected to continual development in order to meet current standards of safety and to offer the responsive thoroughbred performance with which our name is associated', an unchanged mission since inception.
Today, the firm makes in excess of 1,300 cars and generates about $48 million every year.
For a good portion of the 1950s and 1960s the US was a big consumer of Morgan cars and purchased about 85 percent of the production.
Morgan will ramp up production for EV3 in the fourth quarter of 2016 and says the price will be similar to the petrol 3 Wheeler, which is $44,200. This pre-production launch coincides with the announcement that a consortium led by Morgan will be awards government funding towards enhancing this technology
Smartphone maker teams up with Baidu to develop autonomous technology
- BlackBerry and Baidu signed a deal to jointly develop self-driving vehicle tech
- BlackBerry's software could serve as operating system for cars' computer chips
- QNX will be the operating system for Apollo, a platform for self-driving vehicles
BlackBerry and Chinese internet search firm Baidu have signed a deal to jointly develop self-driving vehicle technology, the firms revealed this week.
The deal follows similar agreements with firms including Qualcomm Inc, Denso and Aptiv Plc to develop autonomous-driving technology with BlackBerry's QNX software, which are expected to start generating revenue in 2019.
Investors and analysts are closely watching what comes of those agreements amid expectations that QNX could become a key technology in the burgeoning self-driving vehicle industry.
QNX will be the operating system for Apollo, a platform for self-driving vehicles that Baidu announced in April and has billed as the 'Android' of the autonomous driving industry. Baidu's driverless cars are pictured above during a 2016 test run
The latest move sent BlackBerry's Toronto-listed shares up 13 percent to a four-year high.
'Joining forces with Baidu will enable us to explore integration opportunities for multiple vehicle subsystems including ADAS, infotainment, gateways, and cloud services,' said John Wall, Senior Vice President and GM of BlackBerry QNX.
'Baidu has made tremendous strides in Artificial Intelligence and deep learning.
'These advancements paired with their high-definition maps and BlackBerry's safety-critical embedded software and expertise in security will be crucial ingredients for autonomous vehicles.'
QNX will be the operating system for Apollo, a platform for self-driving vehicles that Baidu announced in April and has billed as the 'Android' of the autonomous driving industry.'The opportunity is global, it's for a very large market and I think it's a very solid win for BlackBerry,' said CIBC Capital Markets analyst Todd Coupland.
Apollo has since signed up several major automakers, including Ford Motor Co, Hyundai Motor Group and several Chinese carmakers.
QNX has long been used to run car infotainment consoles. 
The deal follows similar agreements with firms including Qualcomm Inc, Denso and Aptiv Plc to develop autonomous-driving technology with BlackBerry's QNX software, which are expected to start generating revenue in 2019
BlackBerry has recently developed the software to run sophisticated computer chips for autos that manage multiple safety-critical systems.
BlackBerry shares rose 13 percent in Toronto to C$16.95, their sharpest one-day gain since April and highest close since March 2013.
The two companies said they will also integrate Baidu's CarLife, a leading smartphone integration software for connected cars in China, its conversational AI system and high definition maps with BlackBerry's infotainment platform.
Last year, Blackberry revealed it would be partnering with auto suppliers Delphi Automotive Plc on a software operating system for self-driving cars.
Delphi already has developed a turnkey self-driving system called CSLP that it plans to begin selling to automakers and other transportation providers in 2019, for production in 2021.
Most larger vehicle manufacturers are developing their own self-driving systems.
Glen De Vos, Delphi's chief technology officer, said BlackBerry QNX would provide an operating system that was already certified to high levels of safety for Delphi's CSLP system, which uses software developed by Delphi's Ottomatika unit.
'You have to have all these pieces together, otherwise what you have is a demo,' De Vos said at a media briefing.
De Vos said Delphi expects to begin testing its automated driving systems in pilot projects with ride-service fleets by 2019, with plans to 'take the driver out by 2020.'
The initial fleets of vehicles will be small and limited to defined routes in cities, he said, including a partnership in Europe with Transdev Group, a Paris-based public transport service.
BlackBerry said its operating system would help guard against cyber attacks, malware and system malfunctions - critical concerns for self-driving vehicles.
Delphi's partners on the CSLP platform include Intel Corp's Mobileye and Silicon Valley startup Renovo.
The firm already has strong links to the car industry, and supplies entertainment software used in many cars. BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen is pictured
In May, German automaker BMW AG said Delphi would join it in a self-driving partnership that includes Intel and Mobileye.
BlackBerry revealed plans for the car market back in 2016, when it said it would invest C$100 million ($75 million) in a new autonomous vehicle-testing hub over several years.
The firm already has strong links to the car industry, and supplies entertainment software used in many cars.
'Most of all the money will go to jobs,' John Chen told reporters at the time, an event opening the Ottawa-area facility.
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