Is the Afeela EV a Game-Changer? More Than Just a Car or Gaming System
How far can your imagination go when you think of an automaker partnering with a tech giant? Honda and Sony got together and out popped the Afeela EV. Although the Afeela EV isn’t a newly announced model, more information about this collaborative effort was shared at CES 2024, a year after the new EV’s initial debut at CES 2023. Could this new EV become a “Tesla killer” or a favorite car of gamers searching for a tech-rich EV to drive?
Is the Afeela EV more of a car or gaming system?
This new electric sedan is the first product from Sony Honda Mobility, a combined company to bring new EVs to the market. Sony, the maker of the PS5 gaming system, packs this new EV with tech influence. The Afeela EV uses Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5.3, which powers the graphic and visual effects across the screens found throughout the cabin. These screens include the dashboard, which spans the car’s entire width, and a pair of large screens in the rear.
Whether it’s entertainment or information, the screens present detailed 3D maps, virtual spaces, and augmented views of the area around this new EV. For entertainment, Sony’s TV, movie, and gaming catalogs are available to passengers while driving and drivers when the EV is parked and charging.
Aside from tech, what does this new Sony Honda Mobility EV provide?
Could the Afeela EV challenge any Tesla on the road? This new electric sedan will have two electric motors, each producing 241 horsepower. When combined, this total should be a little over 400 horsepower. If the goal is to be more powerful than the Tesla Model 3, they nailed it. The Model 3 offers power ranging from 271 to 425 horsepower, which makes this new Sony Honda product just as powerful.
Although the driving range hasn’t been announced, the battery capacity in the Afeela EV is 91.0-kWh. This is larger than the Tesla Model 3’s larger battery pack, which delivers 82.0-kWh. This should put the new EV ahead of the Tesla regarding driving range.
Car and Driver tells us this new EV will ride on an air-spring suspension and have a staggered tire setup with wider tires in the rear. This tire setup hints at serious driving performance, but we’ll have to wait for performance data for this new car.
The yoke is no laughing matter
While a tortured pun, the new Afeela EV concept model features a yoke-style steering wheel. This hints at a drive-by-wire steering system where hand-over-hand turns aren’t necessary. We don’t know if this steering apparatus will be a standard feature or optional for this new EV.
Expect AI in the new Afeela EV
A car with the advanced tech in this new Sony-based product should include artificial intelligence systems. The Sony Honda Mobility team partners with Microsoft to use the Azure AI cloud-scale computing tech in the Afeela’s development. This system signals futuristic driving, including Level 2 and 3 autonomous driving features.
When will this new electric sedan arrive?
This new EV should be available to order in 2025, with deliveries starting in 2026. This gives the Afeela EV more time for development and testing. During this time, we should learn more about this new EV that crossed the stage at CES 2024, driven remotely via a PS5 controller.
