Sony used a PS5 controller to drive its AFEELA EV onto stage at CES
Sony is now on its fifth year of showing off its upcoming electric car in its CES press conferences, which we learned last year will be named AFEELA and is planned hit the market in 2026.
This year, the press conference focused on Sony’s software plans for its new vehicle – along with a heap of the latest buzzwords, mostly to do with AI.
To recap, the AFEELA concept was originally stated to have 400kW (536hp) dual-motor all-wheel-drive, 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in 4.8 seconds, and a top speed of 240km/h (149mph). As far as we’re aware, those are still the specs Sony is aiming for. We still have no information on price or battery size, but we do have two more years until this car hits the road, so price will surely come later.
Sony is focusing on its electronics expertise by highlighting the car’s sensing and infotainment systems. Like just about every electric car coming out these days, the AFEELA will have a wide array of sensors for potential autonomous driving tasks.
And inside the car, Sony thinks that it can provide better infotainment due to its experience in consumer entertainment. It wants to implement continuous over-the-air software updates, and has shown interior photos of large displays in both the front and back seats, seeming to indicate that there could be PS5-level performance available for gaming tasks in the car (potentially giving Tesla a run for its money in the $100,000 gaming device market).
But lest we think this is just an electronics company putting up a pipe dream of a product to get more eyes on their CES conference presentation, Sony has taken steps to show that its serious about building this car. It has already partnered with Honda to form Sony Honda Mobility, Inc. Interestingly, Sony got top billing in the partnership, rather than Honda – perhaps a reflection of the Japanese automaker’s hesitance towards anything EV.
New details on the AFEELA – or not
In today’s press conference, Sony brought Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe on stage to talk about the partnership and how mobility is going through a “once in 100 year” transformation” – though in his speech, he didn’t use the word “electric” once.
Then Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of Sony Honda Mobility Inc., came on stage to talk about the in-car software experience. He started off by showing the car’s software-defined nature by… driving the car onto stage with a PS5 controller.
But don’t get too excited – he stated that this was “for the purpose of stage showcase only.”
Nevertheless, what the demonstration shows is that cars are becoming more defined by software, rather than hardware. With software having deep control of vehicle functions, over-the-air updates can change several characteristics of the drive experience, and can improve vehicles over time.
But it also means that these vehicles can have software problems, perhaps moreso than vehicles used to experienced before they were so software-driven.
Sony says that the software-defined nature of the car will turn the car into a “digital playground” for creators to invent new in-car experiences. It showed an example game that renders a vehicle in a mock world alongside escaped godzilla-like monsters, which you can get points for catching.
It also said it wants to “foster a creative community between users and creators” with “access to vehicle data” in order to “realize unique ideas.” Which frankly sounds a little Orwellian, not particularly helped by the fact that it then brought “Big Brother” Microsoft on stage to announce a partnership that… had something (?) to do with AI. Frankly, I blanked out a bit during this part, because I’ve heard enough AI buzzwords this year.
And then Sony closed up the press conference, without any new details on price, battery, the SUV version which appeared two years ago and hasn’t since, or a reiteration of the previously-announced 2026 availability.
Here’s a replay of the full conference (AFEELA presentation starts at 34:23):
Electrek’s Take
When Sony originally surprised everyone with a concept EV in 2020, we thought it was a bit crazy that everyone seemed to be showing off concept EVs now. We’ve seen lots of concept EVs over the years, with varying levels of seriousness.
Sony’s could have been another one of the less-serious ones… but it wasn’t. It looked relatively refined and reasonable and didn’t make as many outlandish claims as some others might have.
At the time, we thought there was actually a decent chance this might happen, and each year since then, Sony has inched a step closer to actually releasing this car. Between the original concept, some on-road testing, an SUV variant (which now has only been shown once, and been absent two years straight), its partnership with Honda, and a product name and production date (with reasonable timeline – at least 7 years after development started on the car), there’s more progress each time we hear about this car.
Of course – by the time this car comes out, they will have talked about it in seven straight CES conferences, if this trend holds. Sure building a car is a huge change for a company that has focused on consumer electronics, but at this point they’re milking this concept for all its worth. I know I just praised them for taking their time with it, and that praise holds, and I’m glad we’re getting updates and all… but that’s still a lot of press conferences for one car.
In contrast, another consumer electronics company that has been rumored to be developing a car, Apple, has never talked about it publicly. Personally I’ve always thought that getting into cars would be an unwise move for Apple (recall Tim Cook’s famous “all of Apple’s products can fit on this one table” presentation) and am therefore skeptical that this will ever happen, but it’s definitely a contrast in press strategy from Sony’s approach.
And that was perhaps particularly apparent this year. While each previous presentation has included meaningful new information beyond the previous year’s, this one seemed like fluff to me. The tech buzzword of the last year has been AI, and every company wants to somehow attach their image to that of AI, hoping to do as well as, say, NVDA has.
So I’m a little disappointed in this specific press conference. Going into it, I didn’t expect much, since Sony has already shown off the car so many times and, frankly, it doesn’t need to show it off seven times before it comes out.
But the AI stuff just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It’s a car, tell us how it’s going to function as a car. Don’t just blow buzzwords at us.
Yes, being software-defined is neat and enables new experiences, and can even make a car better over time (I’ve seen this with my early Tesla Model 3, which is a better car today than it was when I first took delivery). It potentially unshackles us from the previous yearly update cycle which has encouraged overconsumption of vehicles for more than half a century.
But hunting dinosaurs in your car and letting creators spy on your vehicle data is just weird. So lets focus on the car, instead of trying to be another “EV for gamers” (and this is coming from a person who plays entirely too many video games).
Regardless, we’re still really looking forward to trying this thing out when it’s ready. Hopefully next year – since that will be Sony’s last opportunity before its planned 2025 preorder availability for a 2026 model year release.
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On today’s fact-checking episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got a showdown brewing between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, an updated 650 hp Kia EV6 GT that’s ready to take on the world, and some sweet deals on battery-powered goodies.
We’ve also got new electric buses at UCLA that are powered by inductive current in the road itself, and a massive new solar project on a site more famous for coal than clean. All this and a little bit of fact-checking on some fresh musky nonsense – enjoy!
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Learn more at this link.
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Read more: E-quipment highlight | Palfinger FLS 25 eDRIVE truck mounted forklift.
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![Dodge Charger EV is even cheaper to finance than the gas model with 0% APR [Update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/Dodge-Charger-EV-prices-1.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The world’s first electric muscle car is finally here, and Dodge is already sweetening the deal for buyers. The Dodge Charger Daytona EV is launching with 0% APR, making it even cheaper to finance than the outgoing gas-powered model. Lease prices for the electric Charger start as low as $549 per month, but the Hellcat-like Scat Pack model may be an even better deal.
Dodge Charger EV launches with 0% APR offer
The first all-electric Dodge Charger has arrived, and surprisingly, it’s already becoming more affordable. In March, Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona EV, kicking off “the next generation of Dodge muscle.”
According to Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis, the electric Charger “delivers Hellcat Redeye levels of performance.” That’s for the Scat Pack model, which comes with a Direct Connection Stage 2 upgrade kit straight from the factory.
The upgrade delivers up to 670 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.3 seconds. It can also cover a quarter mile in around 11.5 seconds.
In comparison, the 807 hp Dodge Charger SRT Redeye Jailbreak edition, powered by a Supercharged 6.2L HEMI SRT V8 engine, takes 3.6 seconds to get from 0 to 60 mph.
With a Stage 1 upgrade, the base R/T trim has up to 456 hp and 404 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0 to 60 mph time in 4.7 seconds.
Dodge opened orders for the 2024 Charger Daytona EV in September, starting at $59,995. The High-performance Scat Pack trim starts at $73,190.
According to a new dealer note viewed by online auto research firm CarsDirect, all 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV models are now eligible for 0% APR financing for up to 72 months.
| 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV trim | Horsepower | 0 to 60 mph time | Starting price |
| Dodge Charger Daytona R/T | 496 hp | 4.7 seconds | $59,995 |
| Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack | 670 hp | 3.3 seconds | $73,190 |
The offer makes the electric Dodge charger even cheaper to finance than the outgoing 2023 Dodge Charger at 5.9% APR for the same 72 months. However, this is an individual offer and cannot be combined with other deals. Based on CarsDirect analysis, the 0% APR offer is limited to the Northeast, Southern, and Central US regions.
Dodge is also offering a $1,000 loyalty bonus for Stellantis (Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler) lessees that trade in for the electric Charger.
Update 11/26/24: The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV launches with lease prices starting at $549 for 36 months. With $4,999 due at signing, the effective rate is $688 per month (10,000 miles per year).
Although it may not seem cheap, it’s a pretty good deal for a $60,000 electric muscle car. According to CarsDirect analysis, the outgoing Challenger R/T has an effective cost of at least $853 per month. And that’s with an MSRP of just $43,235. The EV model is nearly $20,000 more on paper but significantly less to lease than the aging 2023 model.
Meanwhile, the Scat Pack model may be an even better deal. With a lease money factor as low as 0.00006 on a 24-month lease, the Scat Pack trim is surprisingly lower than the lease rate of 0.00027 for the base R/T model.
It also has a higher residual value. On a 24-month lease, the Scat Pack trim has a 59% residual compared to the R/T’s 54%. With both trims eligible for a $7,500 lease incentive, the high-performance model could be an even better deal.
With the $7,500 EV tax credit incentive, eligible customers can save up to $8,500 on the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV. You may want to act fast, as these deals expire on December 2, 2024.
Jeep, another Stellantis brand, launched lease prices at just $599 per month for its first luxury electric SUV last week, the Wagoneer S. Jeep’s electric Wagoneer is also available with 0% financing.
Ready to check out the world’s first electric muscle car for yourself? We can help you get started today. You use our link to find deals on 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona models at a dealer near you.
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During the first three quarters of 2024, renewables increased their output by almost 9% year-over-year, and solar is still leading the charge, reports the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar’s massive growth
According to the EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report, which includes data through September 2024, solar power generation (including both utility-scale and rooftop installations) shot up by 25.9% compared to the first nine months of 2023.
Utility-scale solar grew even faster – up 30.1% – while small-scale solar (mostly rooftop) increased by 16.2%. Combined, solar contributed more than 7% of the total electricity generated in the US so far this year.
Zooming in on September, utility-scale solar generation grew by a whopping 29% compared to September 2023, and rooftop solar climbed by 14.2%. Combined, solar generated 7.5% of the nation’s electricity that month.
Small-scale solar made up nearly 30% of all solar generation from January to September and provided 2% of the country’s electricity. Interestingly, small-scale solar is now producing almost double the electricity of utility-scale biomass, and over five times that of either geothermal or petroleum-based power.
Wind and renewables mix
Wind power also saw strong growth so far this year. From January to September, wind output was up 6.6% compared to last year. Wind still holds the top spot among renewables, making up 9.9% of US electricity generation in the first nine months of 2024.
The combined contribution of wind and solar provided 17% of the US’s electricity for the first three-quarters of 2024. Altogether, renewables – including wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal – supplied 24% of US electricity in that period, compared to 22.8% during the same time last year.
The numbers show that renewables are growing much faster than traditional energy sources. For example, in the first nine months of 2024, renewables grew by 8.6%, which is more than double the growth rate of natural gas (4.1%) and almost seven times that of nuclear (1.3%). Even in September alone, renewable power generation was up 7.9% compared to September 2023, making up 21.3% of total electricity generation that month.
Other notable trends
From January to September, wind generated 76.4% more electricity than hydropower, and solar surpassed hydropower by 27.2%. In September alone, wind and solar produced 73.5% and 65.9% more electricity, respectively, than hydropower, due to drought conditions, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.
For the first nine months of 2024, wind and solar together produced 14.5% more electricity than coal and came close to catching up with nuclear power’s share of electricity generation (17% compared to nuclear’s 17.6%). This growth has solidified renewables’ place as the second-largest source of electricity generation in the US, behind natural gas.
Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign, which reviewed the EIA’s data, put it simply: “Renewable energy sources now account for a quarter of the nation’s electricity. Any attempt by the incoming Trump Administration to undermine renewables would have serious negative impacts on both the country’s electricity supply and the economy.”
Read more: US solar and wind growth defies expectations – a decade in numbers
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