LAS VEGAS (CN) — While flying cars aren’t yet the reality at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, celebrating the future of technology means that electric vehicles and artificial intelligence are the next best thing.
Hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the annual tech trade show kicked off on Tuesday and runs until Friday, displaying the newest gadgets and tech innovations in transportation, entertainment, cyber security and even health care and sustainability.
But the real focus is artificial intelligence, which has seemed to slip into every industry, including the electric vehicle market.
The electric vehicle market is projected to grow by 6.95% by 2029 to a market volume of $1.084 trillion, according to Statista, but tech companies in the electric vehicle world — where the growing members of the industry are always seeking a competitive edge — are hoping to surpass even this number with the use of AI to automate tasks and make driving easier for consumers.
With the advent of industry leaders such as Tesla and Nio comes upcoming competition, looking to seize some of the consumer base. Sometimes, collaborating with other companies picks up that consumer base, including a partnership with Italdesign, an Italian engineering company.
“We have experience with integration with other hybrids,” said Petra Jan, exhibitor for Elaphe, a Slovenia-based software and power electronics company. “Italdesign made a concept car (the Quintessenza) and Elaphe made the engine. Elaphe is collaborating with Italdesign to create a smart hybrid car with cutting-edge features.”
Such examples include a sonic electric engine, which contains 200 kilowatts of continuous power, according to Iztok Franko, public relations specialist of Elaphe. Elaphe has also enabled AI software in Italdesign’s vehicles, including smart cornering, which enables independent reactions to various situations on the road. The result is a modern vehicle with an engine designed for hyper cars, able to store up to 400 milliliters of brake distance.
Even classic companies such as John Deere are also getting into the AI field, using a next-generation autonomy kit in their 9RX for large agriculture and tillage.
“We rolled this out in 2022, with this year focusing on a next-generation autonomy kit,” said Yalun Sleczkowski, a representative for John Deere. “We’re focused on autonomy and driverless vehicles and machinery.”
AI is also appearing into industries such as electric vehicle charging, which is a key auxiliary market to electric vehicle companies.
“The number one reason someone doesn’t own an electric vehicle is because they don’t have the proper charging infrastructure,” said Mike Battaglia, Chief Operating Officer of Blink Charging, an electric vehicle-charging company based in Bowie, Maryland. “We’re working as fast as we can to catch up with consumer demand.”
“We’re applying rate structures on supply and demand, along with variable pricing and usage,” said Battaglia. “It’s a nationwide effort for 4,000 stations that Blink owns and operates.”
Companies such as Eaton are hoping to corner this market, partnering with Tesla for home energy management. That can range from connectors to battery parts. Eaton’s electric vehicle parts can even function with regular gas cars, according to Eaton exhibitor, Marissa Ferreira.
“Our parts are power train agnostic,” said Ferreira. “They can run with electric vehicles and gas-powered vehicles.”
The AI industry itself grew beyond $184 million in 2024 and is expected to grow to $826.73 million by 2030, according to Statista. And many companies are utilizing it in their operations as well.
Companies such as Keysight Technologies are in the beginning stages of implementing AI into their operations. That includes testing and enabling technologies for car companies, which Keysight is starting, according to company exhibitor Hock Yew Yeap. For Blink Charging, AI is starting to take hold within the company structure.
“We’ve been using AI applications from writing a job description quickly to business efficiency applications,” said Battaglia of Blink Charging. “We’re on the front edge (getting started) with exploring AI applications within the network through predictive maintenance.”