Listen: Sony Introduces Second EV Concept

An unlikely candidate has immersed itself in the electric vehicle industry. Two years ago, Sony, the company known for electronics such as cameras, televisions and headphones, announced its Vision-S concept electric vehicle design at the CES tech show in Las Vegas. It’s still not out, but Sony recently announced at CES it will launch a new company called Sony Mobility Inc. A press release on Sony’s website claims the new subsidiary will help Sony “explore entry into the EV market.” This exploration includes a potential commercial launch of a second Sony EV. This second electric vehicle, named the Vision-S 02, is a seven-seat SUV. It appeared at this year’s CES next to Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and the original sedan from 2020.  The interior features a panoramic dash screen for data, controls and entertainment and 360-degree surround sound. Expanding on the entertainment aspect, new gaming capabilities involve playing PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home. Streaming games can also be played through the cloud. Gaming can be done on the front panoramic screen or the rear-seat displays. In the safety area, sensors were installed 360 degrees around the vehicle. The sensors include CMOS image and LiDAR sensors that can monitor three-dimensional space to assist a driver in judging surrounding environments.When exactly a Sony EV will be available for purchase, no one seems to know. However, public road testing in Europe for the original Vision-S began in December of 2020 and 5G driving tests took place in April 2021.