Sony Honda Mobility has introduced its AFEELA 1 EV at the Consumer Electronics Show, finally giving a (nearly) full unveil to the car that’s expected to go on sale in California in 2026.

Sony has been teasing us with an EV project for years now, starting back in 2020 with a surprise unveil at its CES keynote. At the time, it was called the VISION-S project and we thought there was no way it would happen… but later Sony partnered with Honda, then the car got the name “AFEELA” in 2023, and a 2026 release date.

Today Sony gave us another annual update of its AFEELA vehicle, though focused its keynote less on it than it has in the past. The roughly 6 minute segment of its CES keynote dedicated to the car didn’t tell us a whole lot of new information compared to past years, but it did give us perhaps the most important information yet: pricing and availability.

The big news today is that the car will be called the AFEELA 1, and reservations are now open at $200 a pop, with a base price of $89,900 for the “Origin” trim, and $102,900 for the “Signature” trim.

Sony didn’t tell us much more about the difference between these trim levels, but there is a short rundown available on the AFEELA website. The additional $13k for the Signature trim gets you more color choices, rear screens (which you can see in our hands-on of the vehicle prototype), a camera rear-view mirror, and larger wheels.

But, perhaps more importantly, it also gets you the car a year earlier, in “mid 2026,” whereas the Origin series is only available in 2027 (strangely, the original cars will not have the origin trim).

But we may learn more later, as the site also claims that “features may vary.” This is certainly not a full spec sheet, so we’re expecting to learn more as time goes on.

In previous keynotes, Sony has touted its expertise in software and entertainment and said that that will help them make a vehicle that better integrates vehicle software to provide entertainment for passengers and guidance for drivers through its “AFEELA personal agent” and electronic drivers aids (and 45 sensors for potential autonomous driving tasks).

One of tonight’s demos included Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno showing off Sony’s “personal agent” features by talking to the car through his phone, after which the car came out on stage, and later left stage in the same manner. Last year, Sony drove the car on stage with a PS5 controller. Sony didn’t promise that this would become a production feature, merely referring to it as a tech demo.

Sony also specified that its “personal agent” and autonomous drive features will be subscription-based, with a 3-year “complimentary subscription” included along with the car, but no information on how much it would cost after that. Sony said that this is “subject to change” – and given the negative public reaction that some car subscription fees have gotten, we think there’s a reasonable chance that change will come.

But there’s one more catch from today’s presentation: so far, reservations are only open in California.

This is something a lot of companies have done before, because California is the state with the most EVs – and also the strictest emissions rules.

Those strict emissions rules require more EV sales than many other states, so companies often choose to sell EVs in California to help offset the emissions of their other, more polluting gas vehicles. This has led to the phrase “compliance car,” referring to compliance with California’s EV rules, to describe cars that are focused more on meeting regulations than on being a serious 50-state effort by an automaker.

While Sony doesn’t have any emissions to offset, Honda does. Honda only recently started selling EVs in the US with the Prologue, which is selling quite well across many states, not just California.

So, it’s a bit weird that either of these companies would focus solely on California, as it doesn’t seem like either of them have to worry about compliance. We reached out to figure out what the timeline would be for other states, and will update you if we find out anything new.

Reservations for the AFEELA 1 are $200 and fully refundable, and can be made on AFEELA’s website now – if you’re in California.

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Thomas Built Buses just launched the second generation of its Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school bus originally unveiled in 2017 – here’s what’s new.

A Smarter powertrain with Accelera’s eAxle

The second-gen Jouley is all about being more efficient, better performance, and being easier to service. At the heart of it is the 14Xe eAxle from Accelera, Cummins’ zero-emissions brand. This piece of tech combines the motor, transmission, brakes, and rear-drive gear into one compact unit on the rear axle. By ditching the traditional driveshaft, the eAxle is lighter, simpler, and more efficient. It sends power straight to the wheels, which means smoother rides, better acceleration, and improved torque.

Proterra’s 800-volt battery ramps up performance

The Jouley’s new 800-volt Proterra battery helps the bus handle steep hills, accelerate more quickly, and integrate extras like air conditioning and heating without sacrificing performance. This means it can easily handle all terrains, from flat roads to mountainous routes.

Easier to fix and keep running

Thomas Built’s next-gen electric school bus doesn’t just drive better; it’s also easier to maintain. The eAxle’s simplified design means fewer moving parts and centralized components, which cuts down on repair time and costs.

Technicians will appreciate updates like a new 12-by-12-inch floor panel, which gives direct access to high-voltage connectors without having to remove the battery packs. Plus, a relocated heating loop surge tank makes everyday maintenance even simpler. The focus here is to get buses back on the road faster.

Room for more passengers

The second-gen Jouley offers a new 219-inch wheelbase, letting it carry up to 60 passengers, a feature many operators have been asking for. The shorter eAxle also makes the bus easier to maneuver, whether it’s navigating tight school parking lots or fitting into smaller service bays.

A tech-forward driver experience

Drivers will notice the sleek new LCD digital dash, which feels more like a modern car than a traditional school bus. It displays more detailed diagnostics and operational data, with animations that make key info easy to understand. Software updates will roll out new features over time so the bus stays up-to-date without needing hardware changes.

The 219-inch wheelbase version of the Jouley is already in production at Thomas Built’s High Point, North Carolina factory, with more wheelbase options set to roll out in 2025.

Read more: Oakland is now first in the US to deploy a 100% electric school bus fleet – and it’s V2G

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Volkswagen says that its electric cars will be able to charge at Tesla’s Supercharger network starting in June, reports PC Magazine.

In 2022, Tesla announced it would open its charging network, lured by big money promised in President Biden’s federal EV charging grants.

For a while it seemed like a bit of a hail mary, as many thought that most of the industry was already committed to the SAE CCS standard for fast charging.

But then, in 2023, Ford announced it would adopt Tesla’s connector, and all the dominos started to fall. Soon enough, basically the entire industry had announced a shift to Tesla’s charging standard.

For a time, though, VW was a holdout. It wasn’t until December 2023 – half a year after Ford’s announcement – that VW committed to switching to NACS in 2025 (though really, they were just waiting for SAE’s certification of the standard, which was completed a few days prior).

Well, now we’re here in 2025, and VW says they’re ready to step up.

Today at CES, VW PR director Mark Gillies confirmed to PC Magazine that “we get access to the network in June/July, when we have an official VW adapter.”

This means that the VW EVs available in the US – the ID.4 crossover SUV (which just restarted sales after a door handle recall) and the brand new ID. Buzz minivan, should be able to charge within months… as long as everything goes as planned.

Currently, VW isn’t even listed on Tesla’s NACS page, which mentions that Ford, Rivian, GM, Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan vehicles can all charge on Tesla’s charging network. The only manufacturer currently listed as “coming soon” is Mercedes-Benz, and generally manufacturers have spent a few months on that page before gaining access.

So this is a bit of a surprise announcement from VW, but certainly welcome. Then again, we have witnessed miscommunications in this respect before, so maybe Tesla just didn’t want to jump the gun again, like it did with Nissan. (Update: It turns out VW jumped the gun this time, as a previous version of this article quoted VW saying it will get access in March, not June).

In the past, adapters have taken some manufacturers time to make and ship out. Ford, for example, not only delayed its adapter rollout, but also had to replace some adapters – so caution might be warranted here.

VW’s confirmation today doesn’t specify whether its sub-brands, Audi and Porsche, would be on the same timeline. But since the three brands committed to NACS in a joint announcement, it stands to reason that they could be on the same timeline to get access and adapters.

Update: A previous version of this article stated that VW cars will get access in March, and adapters in June. It turns out, both access and adapters will come in June.

Electrek’s Take

Given that VW was one of the last manufacturers to officially adopt NACS, it’s nice to see them keeping to their timeline – and possibly beating some other manufacturers to the punch too.

This could also be a sign that we’ll start seeing more of a flood of manufacturers getting access soon. The transition is supposed to happen “throughout 2025” after all, and, well, that’s where we are. But the casual nature with which VW has confirmed this timeline suggests that perhaps this transition is really about to get on a roll.

So, look forward to having a lot more interesting sights to see at Superchargers, as the menagerie gets more varied throughout the year.

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