Electric Vehicle Innovation on Display at CES

The annual CES show, held in early January, has always served as a showcase for new and emerging technologies. As such, electric vehicle (EV) innovations littered the show floor, as did technology that will be used in all forms of vehicles in the near future. Based on what was on display, the lesson for EV startups and traditional automakers with vehicle electrification programs is that they will need great design flexibility to compete in the years to come.

That said, a brief look at the new technologies being integrated into EVs shows that the industry is thinking out of the box when bringing new vehicles to market.

Solar Electric Vehicle

One of the most talked about developments at the conference was the introduction of a production-ready solar electric vehicle (sEV) by Aptera Motors. The vehicle includes four solar panels placed on the hood, dash, roof, and hatch. The body of the vehicle is very lightweight and built from carbon fiber sheet molding compound (CF-SMC). The company claims that this advanced material dramatically reduces complexity, requiring fewer than one-tenth the parts of traditional vehicles, resulting in a lightweight yet robust design.  

Additionally, the company claims that powering the vehicle via solar eliminates the need to plug the car in for most daily driving needs. To that point, the company touted its range and capabilities, which include:

• Up to 400 miles of range from a single charge in under an hour. 
• Up to 40 miles of free driving per day powered entirely by sunlight. 
• Over 10,000 miles per year of solar-powered driving in sunny climates, significantly reducing reliance on grid charging. 

Eyes-off Driving Electric Vehicle

Honda showed prototypes of an electric SUV and sedan at CES. The Honda 0 Saloon (Saloon) and Honda 0 SUV (SUV) are two of the first vehicles unveiled as part of Honda’s 0 Series line, the brand’s next-generation of EVs that will feature a new operating system designed for “eyes-off” driving.

The company aims to bring the cars into production in 2026. Both vehicles will run on the Honda-produced operating system Asimo OS, a semi-automated system named after the humanoid robot the company unveiled in 2000. That software provides autonomous and “eyes-off” driving features for the Series 0 system with the ultimate goal of making drivers “feel at one with the vehicle,” according to Honda.

See also: The Journey to the Fully Autonomous Farm

Self-driving Cars

Autonomous driving was another major theme at CES, as several autonomous vehicle companies showed off their technologies at the conference. That included a number of entries into the robotaxi service market, including May Mobility, Tier IV, Waymo, and Zoox.

The self-driving technology was not limited to passenger cars. In general, self-driving technology is getting a great deal of interest from the agricultural community. That was evident at CES as companies like John Deere, Kubota, and startup Polymath Robotics showcased the application of self-driving systems to off-road environments. 

Software Dominates

EV and internal combustion engine automakers are embracing a concept of what the industry calls software-defined vehicles. Such vehicles include new features and capabilities enabled by AI, autonomous and advanced driving, in-vehicle displays, passenger comfort features, smart charging, and more.

The use of AI in autos is relatively new. One application that is being explored is a form of predictive AI that uses AI to analyze large datasets in real time to anticipate potential hazards and also optimize vehicle performance for fuel efficiency and comfort.

According to Forbes, “BMW, Honda, Sony, Garmin, Harman, HERE Technologies, Nvidia, and even Maserati were some of the companies at the annual tech expo showing what it means to have a software-driven experience (instead of the usual hardware).”

A Final Word

The new technologies showcased at CES provide a glimpse of what is possible in the coming years. If automakers and startups developing electric vehicles can deliver vehicles with the features customers want, they have an incredible opportunity to gain new customers.

In particular, Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, which came out this month, finds that brand loyalty is less important. The study found that 54% of those surveyed in the U.S. (31,000 total consumers from 30 countries) plan to switch brands for their next vehicle in pursuit of better quality for lower cost.