We're barely six weeks into 2018 but already the automotive industry has welcomed plenty of weird and futuristic new technology to the world. Such is the pace of development that it's easy to lose track.
Fear not, because Autocar is on hand to keep you very much up to date in the world of car tech, with our recent visit to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) providing a clear window of the future.
CES, held annually in Las Vegas, is the world's biggest technology show – and becoming an increasingly important event for car firms. Several big manufacturers used CES to demonstrate their drive towards autonomous, connected and electrified cars, and to do deals with the technology firms that can help them get to the future faster than their rivals.
Read on to see what advancements it suggested are due for the car industry of tomorrow. Much of technology is far closer to production than you might think.
Nissan’s Leaf-powered coffee
Nissan demonstrated its vehicle-to- home charging concept, where energy can be taken from a Leaf’s battery and fed back into your home, by using a new Leaf to power a macchiato machine (and, bizarrely, a printer that could render your photo onto the frothy top). It doubtless proved useful when the Las Vegas Convention Centre suffered an extended power cut on the second day of CES.
When's it due? The vehicle-to-home system is available now and can provide energy back to the grid, potentially cutting your bills. Deliveries of the system will be by 2019.
Our view: Vehicle-to-home charging could be vital in coping with the growth of EVs. FOUR STARS
As for the macchiato? Too milky, lukewarm and, frankly, drinking a coffee with my face on was just plain odd. TWO STARS
Yamaha’s golf cart goes the extra mile
The term ‘last-mile mobility’ refers to vehicles that can cover short journeys where cars, buses and taxis can’t go–for example, from your car park to your office – and is particularly beneficial to the disabled or elderly.
The challenge is making such an autonomous machine affordable. Yamaha’s solution is the 06GEN, capable of 12mph and based on a golf cart platform. Alongside a 3D Lidar scanner to detect objects, a camera is mounted on the bottom of the vehicle pointing to the ground. It matches the pictures with stored mapping data, allowing it to navigate accurately.
