Another CES has come and gone and transportation was still one of the central factors on one of the biggest tech stages in the world. It wasn’t just electric cars that caught our eye at CES 2024.
Companies and startups focused on automated driving, EV charging, software (and more specifically AI), sensors, aviation, boats, drones, micromobility — you name it — were there. And thankfully, so was TechCrunch.
Here are some of the tech themes that stood out to us at CES 2024.
All electric
Image Credits: Kirsten Korosech
The big three American automakers – GM, Ford and Stellantis – may not have had dazzling displays and product unveilings, but many others were there to help establish CES as a major auto show. Honda, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Sony, Turkey’s Togg and Vinfast showcased electric prototypes and production cars at the event.
It wasn’t just big established automakers that had a presence at CES 2024. Electrification has infiltrated every corner of transportation from motorcycles and e-bikes to go-karts, big rigs, boats and aircraft.
For example, Segway unveiled two electric scooters, the E2 Pro and Superscooter ST1, two e-bikes called Segway Xafari and Segway Xyber as well as a Segway Go Kart Pro 2 which can be connected to a PC and used to play racing games like Forza.
Startups were also out in full force and could be found at a variety of CES-related events such as Pepcom and Unveiled. Cleveland, Ohio-based startup Land Energy is back with its sporty e-bike that has a swappable battery, while Finland Verge Motorcycles showed off the Verge TS Ultra, an electric motorcycle with a linkless design, advanced driver assistance technology and a powertrain that produces an impressive 201 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque. In Eureka Park, where hundreds of startups set up shop, electrification was also present. A startup that caught my attention was Solar Buggya company that has developed an electric urban mobility vehicle that looks like an enclosed golf cart.
Image Credits: Kirsten Korosech
And of course, there were electric aircraft and drones. On the startup front, Pivotal opened online orders for its Helix electric personal aircraft, while autonomous on-demand drone companies Zipline and Wing landed a huge deal with walmart. Hyundai’s advanced air mobility unit Supernal unveiled its VLT electric aircraft for production, and Xpeng Aeroht, a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng Motors, unveiled a new concept and announced that deliveries for its land-based aircraft carrier will were starting at the end of 2025. .
With so many electric vehicles, it might not surprise people to learn that EV charging companies have also been there in droves. In addition to the more well-known charging infrastructure companies, we found startups focused on EV charging software, as well as those demonstrating new approaches like WiTricity’s wireless charging technology.
Generative AI
Image Credits: Volkswagen
Before even setting foot at the show, the TechCrunch staff predicted that artificial intelligence would dominate CES 2024. We weren’t wrong. AI was everywhere, including transportation from cars and e-bikes to scooters and electric aviation.
There were many companies touting artificial intelligence. While there was certainly plenty of vaporware, many companies showed how software is increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence to deliver (hopefully) more capable products, including vehicle sensors, in-car voice assistants and self-driving systems.
There was also a lot of chatter around generative AI, and more specifically, ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot, using large deep learning models trained on massive data sets. I checked out two ChatGPT demos: one with BMW and another from a partnership with software company Cerence and Volkswagen.
Volkswagen has announced plans to add an AI-powered chatbot to all Volkswagen models equipped with the IDA voice assistant.
Meanwhile, BMW and partner Amazon unveiled a development project that uses genetic artificial intelligence, powered by Alexa LLM, to give the automaker’s voice assistant greater capability and provide information in a more human, conversational way.
Hydrogen
Jaehoon Chang, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Co., center, and Chang Hwan Kim, senior vice president and head of battery development and hydrogen and fuel cell development for Hyundai Motor Co. at CES 2024. Image credits: Getty images via Bloomberg
Hydrogen power is not new, however, it has taken a bit of a backseat recently to more traditional battery electric vehicles. Don’t tell anyone at CES 2024, though, as this year’s show was packed with hydrogen-powered vehicles of all sizes.
Hyundai, which has a growing portfolio of battery electric vehicles, came to CES to talk about hydrogen fuel cells and its vision for the alternative fuel. Nikola finally showed off one of the first American-made hydrogen trucks it’s starting to ship to customers, and Bosch, which already makes hydrogen fuel cells (like the one Nikola uses in its truck), announced that it will build an engine that will can burn hydrogen. Truck manufacturer PACCAR also unveiled a hydrogen-powered truck.
We also met other hydrogen-focused startups walking the halls to meet with media, potential investors and industry people. Croft Motors was the one we came across. The startup is developing “robust” hydrogen-powered vehicles, starting with a three-row SUV prototype with an “expected range of 1,000 miles.”
Hardware in the cabin meets software
Harman introduces ReadyCare product at CES 2024. Image credit: Kirsten Korosec
Automakers, car suppliers and even some start-ups showed their respective visions of the car interior. Yes, there were many touchscreens, including the popular curved design.
The car’s technology extended far beyond that, however, into the areas of safety, health assessments, and entertainment. Eye tracking technology was everywhere. For example, Harman introduced its signature Ready Care system, which can measure the driver’s eye activity, cognitive load and vital signs to determine the level of focus and attention on the road ahead.
Some companies also demonstrated how hardware such as cameras and other sensors once used for security are now being leveraged for other convenience-focused services. Bosch showed how eye-tracking technology could be used while you’re driving to understand which points of interest you’re looking at, and the car could provide contextual information.
Meanwhile, Mercedes unveiled a whole package of features that when combined create a complete experience for driver and passengers, including an upgraded voice assistant, in-car gaming, immersive audio and an app developed by its new company will.i .am Sound Drive that matches the accelerator, brakes and steering with a kind of intelligent multi-channel mixer that affects the songs played in the car.
My takeaway: companies understand that drivers and passengers are a captive audience, so to speak. And everyone is working on ways to bring all the technology we have in our phones and homes into the car.
