Mobility-related information website

First in-person exhibition in two years

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world’s largest electronics trade show. Held annually, it invites manufacturers, developers, and suppliers of consumer-use hardware, software, and content to showcase their new products and technologies, focusing on industrial themes that engage global business and innovation leaders. The 2022 event was organized in two formats—digital and in-person—due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, and rigorous infection control guidelines were enforced at in-person venues. Compared with growing prior expectations for the first in-person event in two years, the actual attendance was low, registering about a quarter of the 2020 level, which was chiefly attributable to the recent outbreak of the Omicron variant. The exhibition spaces were only partially filled.

Diverse visions of future mobility unveiled

Given the above situation, there was an inevitable impact on the mobility section, which missed major regular exhibitors, such as Denso, Continental, and Yanfeng, among other suppliers, despite a growing presence built by the sector in recent years. Nonetheless, the section hosted a substantial number of presentations delivered by leading automobile OEMs, such as Stellantis Group, BMW, and Hyundai. This year’s spotlight grabbers were: BMW’s iX Flow concept car featuring electronic ink that could change the body color of the vehicle at the touch of a button; and Hyundai’s single-seat POD and robotic distribution vehicle systems, which represented the company’s future mobility stories. Other remarkable attention-getting exhibitors were EV specialists, including, newcomers VinFast and Togg, from Vietnam and Turkey, respectively, as well as Fisker, Phoenix Motorcars, and other U.S. automakers. During the show period, many visitors enjoyed a crowd-wowing experience offered by the high-profile program prepared by The Boring Company, founded by Elon Musk, to offer rides through the Vegas Loop, a dedicated tunnel route constructed under the venue, in a Tesla self-driving Model 3 (though there was no Tesla booth this year). Another presentation of note was Sony’s unveiling of an SUV concept car from Vision-S, as well as a plan to establish a new mobility company. This was a clear indication of the recent trend of increasing entries from different industries and toward cross-sector businesses.
In the mobility section, most booth operators were from the EV and related technologies industry, with a few exceptions from the sports car and other special-purpose vehicle segments, heralding the advent of the age of EVs. One noteworthy development was the increasing number of exhibits featuring charging infrastructure products. This general trend was also observed at the event two years ago, though previously a major focus was placed on rapid charger and large-volume power storage functions. In comparison, the latest show centered around compact home-use charger ports with lower installation costs (level 2). This seemed to suggest that the EV infrastructure sector has begun to rectify its past slow-footedness and is accelerating efforts to address needs related to the coming age of EVs.

Highlights from other sections

This year, while a number of Japanese and Korean electronics companies ran large booths, GAFAM and other tech giants cancelled their participation in the in-person conference at the last minute due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. As a result, the overall show seemed slightly lacking in terms of the futuristic stories and moods suggested by the novel-concept technologies and inventions that are a signature feature of the event. On the other hand, this seemed to help products representing an advance in existing technologies move to center stage. Another noteworthy development was the array of booths introducing VR products and technologies for the much-talked-about metaverse, indicating the rudiment of a new trend.